Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for People with Parkinson's Disease Dementia

Abstract

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> To investigate the effect of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for people with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and their caregivers. <h3>Design</h3> Within-subjects pre-test post-test design. <h3>Setting</h3> Community-based, in partnership with the local American Parkinson Disease Association chapter. <h3>Participants</h3> Eighteen participants: 9 people with possible PDD (MoCA score < 21), and 9 caregivers. <h3>Interventions</h3> A 7-week program of bi-weekly 45-minute long CST group classes for people with PDD. CST is an intervention for people with dementia involving group activities and conversations that stimulate cognitive and social skills. <h3>Main Outcome Measures</h3> PDD participants completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Neuro Quality of Life Cognition Short Form (NeuroQOL Cog SF), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) and Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS). Caregivers completed the Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS) and RAS. After the course, both groups completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8). <h3>Results</h3> The PDD group's MoCA scores improved from pre to post intervention (pre: M = 19.11, SD = 2.57; post: M = 21.22, SD = 2.95; p = 0.01). All other measures, except the PDD RAS and CBS, showed pre-post improvement, although these were not significant. The PDD participants and their caregivers reported high satisfaction with the program, as indicated by the CSQ-8 (M = 3.5 [out of 4 possible], SD = 0.16), with 72% of participants rating all items positively. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Participation in a group CST course resulted in improved cognition in this small sample of people with PDD. In addition, individuals with PDD and their caregivers were highly satisfied with the program. Although larger studies are needed, these findings suggest that CST may benefit cognition among people with PDD and is an acceptable program for people with PDD and their caregivers. <h3>Author(s) Disclosures</h3> The authors have no disclosures to report.