Abstract:
Elders with dementia spend the majority of their day inactive, often with little more than general music or movies playing in the background. The purpose of the current study was to increase engagement in residents within a dementia care facility. Nine residents with severe dementia and five caregivers participated. Intervention 1 required caregivers to complete activity records and receive supervisory feedback during afternoon observation sessions. No increase in appropriate engagement was observed, contrary to previous research. Single stimulus engagement preference assessments were used to identify preferred activities that residents could engage with independently. During Intervention 2, caregivers were provided with information on resident preferences, and these activities were made easily accessible to caregivers. An increase in appropriate engagement was observed for some of the residents. Intervention 2 was also implemented in the morning by a caregiver who led group activities at the same time. Findings were inconclusive from the morning sessions due to participant attrition. Improvements made during follow up and suggestions for future improvements are discussed. Intervention 2 allows any member of staff to efficiently engage residents, even during times that they are required to complete other tasks.
