title: Effect of individualized social activity on sleep in nursing home residents with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the efficacy of an individualized social activity intervention (ISAI) on decreasing daytime sleep, improving nighttime sleep, and lowering the day/night sleep ratio and to determine its cost.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pretest/posttest randomized with an experimental and control group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven nursing homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred forty-seven residents with dementia.
  
  
  METHODS
  One to 2 hours of individualized social activities for 21 consecutive days.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-four-hour sleep/wake patterns using an Actigraph.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ISAI group had significantly less daytime sleep (P=.001) and a lower day/night sleep ratio (P=.03) than the control group, after adjusting for baseline values. Because 40% of the sample slept 7 or more hours at night, a secondary analysis was conducted. When only those residents with a sleep efficiency of less than 50% (n=50) were included, the ISAI group (n=20) had less daytime sleep (P=.005), a lower day/night sleep ratio (P=.02), fell asleep faster (P=.03), and were awake less at night (P=.04) than the control group (n=30), after adjusting for baseline values. The weekly cost of the ISAI was roughly $70 per participant. Initial training and supply costs were $1,944.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The ISAI provides an alternative to medications, without side effects.
authors.affiliation: Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72114, USA. richardskathyc@uams.edu
authors.forename: Kathy Culpepper
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Patricia S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: Valorie M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Shue
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003704:Dementia; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012890:Sleep; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy