Dementia
Conditions
Keywords
Behavioral symptoms, Long-term care
Brief summary
This project, a small-scale pilot study, will attempt to determine if involvement in a group-based creative expression program may correlate with a reduction in use of psychotropic drugs for persons with dementia.
Detailed description
The study site has two skilled-nursing dementia Special Care Units. One unit will serve as a control with residents receiving the standard care activity program. The other unit will receive the standard care activity program as well as the TimeSlips storytelling program (two hour-long sessions per week for six weeks). The behavioral symptoms and psychotropic drug usage for both cohorts will be studied for eight months, the first four months with no intervention and the last four months with or without the six-week TimeSlips intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALTimeSlips
TimeSlips is a group-based creative storytelling program for people with dementia. The intervention will be held twice a week for six weeks, in hour-long sessions.
BEHAVIORALStandard care activity program
Standard-of-care activities for the study site's skilled-nursing dementia Special Care Units.
Sponsors
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* residence in one of two dementia special-care skilled nursing units at the study site * clinical diagnosis of dementia
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Rates of psychotropic drug prescriptions for study participants. | eight months |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Mood and behavior patterns | eight months |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed