Clinical Interventions in Aging (Feb 2022)

Delivering Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Virtually: Developing and Field-Testing a New Framework

  • Perkins L,
  • Fisher E,
  • Felstead C,
  • Rooney C,
  • Wong GHY,
  • Dai R,
  • Vaitheswaran S,
  • Natarajan N,
  • Mograbi DC,
  • Ferri CP,
  • Stott J,
  • Spector A

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 17
pp. 97 – 116

Abstract

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Luke Perkins,1 Emily Fisher,1 Cerne Felstead,1 Claire Rooney,2 Gloria HY Wong,3 Ruizhi Dai,4 Sridhar Vaitheswaran,5 Nirupama Natarajan,5 Daniel C Mograbi,6,7 Cleusa P Ferri,8,9 Joshua Stott,1 Aimee Spector1 1Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK; 2Occupational Therapy Department, Older Persons Services, Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, Ireland; 3Department of Social Work and Social Administration, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 4Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong; 5Dementia Care in Schizophrenia Research Foundation (DEMCARES), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 6Department of Psychology, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 7Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK; 8Department of Psychiatry, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; 9Health Technology Assessment Unit, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, BrazilCorrespondence: Emily FisherResearch Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK, Tel +44 20 7679 5770, Email [email protected]: This feasibility and pilot study aimed to develop and field-test a 14-session virtual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (vCST) programme for people living with dementia, developed as a result of services moving online during the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods: The vCST protocol was developed using the existing group CST manual, through stakeholder consultation with people living with dementia, caregivers, CST group facilitators and dementia service managers. This protocol was then field-tested with 10 groups of people living with dementia in the Brazil, China (Hong Kong), India, Ireland and the UK, and feedback on the protocol was gathered from 14 facilitators.Results: Field testing in five countries indicated acceptability to group facilitators and participants. Feedback from these groups was used to refine the developed protocol. The final vCST protocol is proposed, including session materials for delivery of CST over videoconferencing and a framework for offering CST virtually in global settings.Conclusion: vCST is a feasible online intervention for many people living with dementia. We recommend that it is offered to those unable to access traditional in-person CST for health reasons, lack of transport or COVID-19 restrictions. Further research is needed to explore if participant outcomes are comparable to in-person CST groups.Keywords: dementia, COVID-19, psychosocial intervention, telehealth

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