Telling short, colorful stories improves the well-being of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, reports Nursing Research.
Dementia is one of the most significant health and social risks. The number of people with this condition is increasing mainly because people are living longer and longer. Experts predict that in 2030 there will be twice as many people with dementia than today, and in 2050 – three times as many.
Common to Alzheimer’s disease are changes in mood and behavior, confusion, memory loss, and difficulty walking and speaking. Administering medications does not always bring a marked improvement.
The team of prof. Lorraine Philips from the University of Missouri has tried the drug-free TimeSlips therapy, which improves patients’ communication skills and has a positive effect on them. The method is based on the joint creation of short stories by a group, using the patients’ imaginations. The inspiration is the humorous pictures presented by the helpers who note down the patients’ statements and guide the creation of the stories.
In the study, Philips and her colleagues used hourly TimeSlips sessions twice a week for six consecutive weeks. The classes gave people with dementia a lot of fun and improved interpersonal communication. The positive effect on well-being lasted for several weeks after the end of the session.
TimeSlips allows people with mild and moderate dementia to interact with others, encourage activity, recognize and create. The method is easy to use and cheap to implement. Caregivers can deal with a large number of patients at the same time and do not have to be familiar with art, music or other types of creativity, which was required by previous art therapy classes. (PAP)