The Efficacy of Using Volunteers to Implement a Cognitive Stimulation Program in Two Long-Term Care Homes

NCT01818778 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Queens-Baycrest 65
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 52
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Many volunteers visiting seniors make socially-based "friendly visits". This study investigated the efficacy of volunteers making visits focused on stimulating cognition. Participants were randomly assigned to either a "friendly visit" control group or a cognitive stimulation group. Seniors receiving stimulation visits made statistically significant improvement in memory abilities.

Conditions

Impaired Cognition; Geriatric Disorder; Learning Disorders; Age-Related Memory Disorders; Impairment of Attention

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Test of Memory and Learning - Senior Edition (TOMAL-SE)

  The TOMAL-SE was designed specifically for seniors and provides a thorough assessment, without being fatiguing (Reynolds \& Vorees, 2012). The battery includes normative data for ages 55:0-89:11. It is a paper-based test and takes approximately 25-35 minutes to administer. It provides scores for the following indexes: Verbal Memory, Non-Verbal Memory, Delayed Memory, and Learning.

  10 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence - Second Edition (WASI-II; Wechsler, 2011)

  10 weeks

Other Outcomes (3)

• Letter Sorting Test

  10 weeks

• Clock Drawing Test

  10 weeks

• Action "Verbal Fluency" Test

  10 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Stimulation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Cognitive Stimulation Group: One-on-one (one volunteer visiting one resident at a time), stimulation-group residents and stimulation-group volunteers met 3 times each week, for 8 weeks, to work through a variety of memory, reasoning, and selective attention exercises. Each visit was 20 minutes in length.

Other: Cognitive stimulation program

Control Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Standard "Friendly Visit": Control-group residents and control-group volunteers, one-on-one, met for 8 weeks, 3 times each week, for "friendly visits". Each visit was 20 minutes in length.

Other: Standard Friendly Visit

Interventions

Cognitive stimulation program OTHER

The stimulation program was composed of therapy- and education-based exercises which were specifically designed to stimulate reasoning, memory, and attention skills in adults.

Stimulation Group

Standard Friendly Visit OTHER

Volunteers provided standard "friendly visits" to residents which included a friendly greeting and casual conversation about issues which interest the resident.

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• years and over
• living in a long-term care home
• normal or corrected visual and auditory acuity
• English proficiency
• not currently using de-stabilizing, psychotropic medication known to impair cognition
• ability and willingness to actively listen to and accurately follow 2-step instructions for at least 20 consecutive minutes

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Queen's University: lead
• Baycrest: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Baycrest

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Cognition Disorders; Learning Disabilities; Memory Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders; Communication Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Study Officials

• John Kirby, Ph.D.

  Queen's University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Ph.D.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: March 19, 2013
• First Posted: March 26, 2013
• Study Start: May 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: July 1, 2013
• Study Completion: July 1, 2013
• Last Updated: May 16, 2014

Record last verified: 2014-05

Locations

CA (1)