Effects of a cognitive stimulation program on psychological well-being in a sample of elderly long-term care hospital inpatients.
The primary objective of this work is to report the observed changes in psychological well-being in a sample of long-term medically hospitalized patients, after attending a cognitive stimulation program. The secondary aim is to determine if the observed changes were related to previous cognitive level.



Inclusion criteria for study participation were to be a long-term care hospital inpatient, to be 65 years old or older, and to be cognitively preserved or with mild cognitive impairment. A total of 176 participants were included and distributed in two groups: Cognitive Stimulation Group (N = 123) and Non-Cognitive Stimulation Group (N = 53). Measures were applied just before the beginning of the program and just when it finished, two months later. Participants of the Non-Cognitive Stimulation Group were re-assessed again after two months.



No differences were found between the two groups in the measures assessed at baseline. After treatment, participants of the Cognitive Stimulation Group improved significantly more in psychological well-being (p < .001) than the ones of the Non-Cognitive Stimulation Group. When unimpaired and mild cognitively impaired participants of the Cognitive Stimulation Group were studied separately, both groups improved their psychological well-being, but the unimpaired experienced a greater effect.



Cognitive stimulation plays a role in the improvement of psychological well-being of elderly medically hospitalized patients unimpaired or with mild cognitive impairment. The improvements in psychological well-being were related to the previous cognitive status and to the number of sessions that had been attended.
a Hospital Sociosanitari Francolí , Department of Psychology , Tarragona , Spain.|b Hospital Universitari de Tarragona Joan XXIII, Multidisciplinary Pain Research Group, IISPV , Tarragona , Spain.|c Department of Psychology , Universitat Rovira i Virgili , Tarragona , Spain.
Antoni
A
Castel
a Hospital Sociosanitari Francolí , Department of Psychology , Tarragona , Spain.|d Hospital Sociosanitari Francolí , Department of Geriatric Medicine , Tarragona , Spain.
Carme
C
Lluch
e Salut Mental, Consorci Sanitari de l'Anoia , Igualada , Spain.
Joan
J
Ribas
a Hospital Sociosanitari Francolí , Department of Psychology , Tarragona , Spain.
Laia
L
Borràs
d Hospital Sociosanitari Francolí , Department of Geriatric Medicine , Tarragona , Spain.
Elena
E
Moltó
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000145:classification / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
elderly; inpatients; long-term care; psychology; quality of life