Non-Pharmacological Interventions for People Living with Dementia (1 CE)

Number of Credits: 1

This course is for:  Clinical Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors

Course By: Tamara Avery, PsyD

Content By: Chalfont, G., Milligan, C., and Simpson, J. (2018). A mixed methods systematic review of multimodal non-pharmacological interventions to improve cognition for people with dementia. Dementia, 19(4), 1086-1130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218795289

Course Description: Multimodal non-pharmacological interventions have the potential to complement current pharmacological approaches for improving the quality of life for people with dementia. Non-pharmacological interventions can provide a complementary therapy, offering useful, versatile approaches to improve outcomes. The aim of this review was to identify, synthesize, and appraise the evidence supporting multimodal non-pharmacological intervention effectiveness for improving cognitive function. Cognitive, physical, psychological, psychosocial, nutrition, fasting, gut health, sleep hygiene, stress reduction, detoxification, hormonal health, and oxygen therapy functioned as intervention-types. Researchers found that multimodal non-pharmacological interventions have the potential to complement singular therapeutic approaches by addressing modifiable risk factors that contribute to cognitive decline.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the 1 purpose of the study and the methods related to multimodal non-pharmacological interventions as examined in the article
2. Analyze the data by exploring the 26 reviewed studies in conjunction with the discussed findings
3. Integrate the 2 to 3 modes of interventions used by group studies with the multiple methods of implementation

Course Outline:

• Read and understand A mixed methods systematic review of multimodal non-pharmacological interventions to improve cognition for people with dementia
• Review the Course Description and Learning Objectives
• Consider the factors related to multimodal non-pharmacological interventions coupled with the statistical findings from the accompanying article
• Work through the post-test questions; keep in mind that answer selections should be derived from the respective article
• Return to the referenced article for any missed questions and/or to better understand the relationship between the effectiveness of multimodal non-pharmacological interventions for improving cognitive function for people living with dementia