Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a 13-week individual reminiscence therapy (RT) intervention to improve the overall cognitive function, memory, executive function, mood and quality of life (QoL) of people with neurocognitive disorders.
Methods: A single-blind, multicentre, randomised parallel two-arm controlled trial recruited 251 people with neurocognitive disorders attending 24 institutions providing care and support services for older adults in Portugal. The primary outcome measure was cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]). Secondary outcomes were memory (Memory Alteration Test [MAT]), executive function (Frontal Assessment Battery [FAB]), mood (Geriatric Depression Scale-15 [GDS-15]) and self-reported QoL-Alzheimer's disease AD). Participants in the intervention group (n = 131) received 26 individual RT sessions, twice a week, over the course of 13 weeks. Participants in the control group (n = 120) maintained their treatment as usual.
Results: Intention-to-treat analysis showed that, at endpoint assessment, the intervention group had significantly improved in relation to the control group in MMSE (mean difference 1.84, 95% CI [0.80, 2.89], p = .001, d = .44), MAT (mean difference 2.82, 95% CI [0.72, 4.91], p = .009, d = .34) and QoL-AD (mean difference 1.78, 95% CI [0.17, 3.39], p = .031, d = .28). Non-significant improvements were found on FAB (mean difference 0.74, 95% CI [-0.04, 1.52], p = .062, d = .24) and GDS-15 (mean difference -0.63, 95% CI [-1.45, 0.19], p = .130, d = .19).
Conclusions: For people with neurocognitive disorders attending social care and support services, the individual RT designed for this trial should be considered an intervention with the potential to improve cognition, memory and QoL.
Keywords: cognition; dementia; individual therapy; mood; neurocognitive disorders; non-pharmacological therapy; quality of life; randomised controlled trial; reminiscence therapy.
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.