[A global intervention program for institutionalized demented patients].
BACKGROUND
Over the last decades many approaches have been developed to manage cognitive and behavioral disturbances in dementia. The present work describes a global intervention program carried out with moderately to severely demented institutionalized patients. The aims of the intervention program are to stimulate and maintain the preserved abilities of demented patients in a supportive context, to decrease the behavioral disturbance and to avoid burnout of care-unit staff.


METHODS
This intervention combines different means: psychosocial care (validation therapy, social interaction), cognitive stimulation (memory and verbal training), and motor and sensitive stimulation. The global intervention program requires a special trained team composed of a supervisor, six aid-nurses, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a psychomotor therapist and a psychologist. The team cared for the patients five days per week over a three-month period. Assessments were conducted before and after the intervention program to measure the benefit.


RESULTS
Positive effects were shown for cognitive abilities, nutritional problems and staff burnout. However, due to the small sample size for this study, more research is needed to verify the effectiveness of this global intervention program, particularly the implications for nutrition.


CONCLUSIONS
This global intervention combined with pharmacological treatment seems to be useful for managing psychological and behavioral disorders of institutionalized demented patients.
Wenisch
E
E
Service de Gérontologie Clinique II, Hôpital Broca, 54-56, rue Pascal, 75013 Paris, France. emillie.wenisch@brc.ap-hop-paris.fr
Stoker
A
A
Bourrellis
C
C
Pasquet
C
C
Gauthier
E
E
Corcos
E
E
Banchi
M-T
MT
De Rotrou
J
J
Rigaud
A-S
AS
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology