Abstract
This paper describes a randomized controlled trial on the Online Life Story Book (OLSB), a digital reminiscence intervention for people with (very) mild dementia living at home. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the OLSB on (i) neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in persons with dementia and (ii) the distress and quality of life (QOL) of primary informal caregivers. A randomized controlled trial with individual randomization to one of two conditions was conducted: 1) intervention “Online Life Story Book”; 2) wait list control condition. In the intervention OLSB, a trained volunteer guided the participants through the process of creating an OLSB in approximately 5 meetings within a period of 8–10 weeks. Participants in the control condition received care as usual while they waited for 6 months before starting. Outcomes on NPS and distress and QOL of the informal caregiver were assessed at baseline (baseline, T0), 3 months (T1) and 6 months (T2) post baseline. Of the 42 persons with dementia, 23 were female and 19 were male. They had a mean age of 80 years, ranging from 49 to 95. The total drop-out rate was 14.3 percent. Small but insignificant effects on NPS, caregiver distress and QOL of caregivers were found with the exception of self-rated caregiver distress that reduced significantly during the intervention. One reason to explain the results might be that the included participants were in relatively good health. Practical challenges during the intervention could have affected the results as well. It might also be that the intervention caused effects on other outcomes than NPS and caregiver distress. In future research, it is important to study the effects in persons with more complaints and higher distress and to be careful in the selection of outcome variables in relation to the reminiscence functions served by the intervention.
Highlights
As there is still no treatment for dementia, dementia care mainly focuses on maintaining quality of life and reducing psychosocial problems [1]
This paper describes a randomized controlled trial on such a person-centered behavioral intervention for people with mild dementia: the Online Life Story Book (OLSB)
Of the 23 participants randomized to the intervention condition, four (17.4%) did not complete the intervention and the study, because of several reasons: one had a fast cognitive decline, so it would be too much of a burden to create the online life story book; one had to wait for too long to be assigned to a volunteer; one changed his mind because he found it too private to share memories; and one person passed away before the follow-up measurement
Summary
As there is still no treatment for dementia, dementia care mainly focuses on maintaining quality of life and reducing psychosocial problems [1]. Dementia and the related NPS affect the quality of life of persons with dementia, and lead to a higher level of distress and a lower quality of life of informal caregivers [7,8,9]. This distress includes physical, emotional and economic aspects [10]. It is important that such behavioral interventions are person-centered, so that they can meet the needs of persons with dementia and their informal caregivers [13]. This paper describes a randomized controlled trial on such a person-centered behavioral intervention for people with (very) mild dementia: the Online Life Story Book (OLSB)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
