Overview
Group therapy can be offered to people with dementia as well as their caregivers. For people with dementia, the sessions focus on psycho-education of the illness, activities for cognitive stimulation, and opportunities for social interaction with others. For caregivers, the therapy can focus on psycho-education of the symptoms and progression of dementia, ways to handle the person with dementia, and finding ways to deal with and reduce caregivers’ burnout. The sessions are conducted by psychologists who have pre-designed modules catering to the different challenges that people with dementia face based on the different stages of the illness. The activities are designed to target enhancing different skills affected as
dementia progresses. Thus they can involve the usage of Motor skills such as passing a ball, cognitive skills such as mindfulness colouring, crosswords, etc., communication skills such as sharing memories with other members or presenting in front of everyone, social skills such as playing games that involve working in teams. Cognitive Stimulation Therapy is one group intervention consisting of short, evidence based group therapy sessions for people with mild to moderate dementia. Each session is based on a different theme designed to help the people with dementia learn and also stay socially engaged. Although the themes of the activities change, the structure of the sessions remains the same in order to provide consistency and routine in the lives of people with dementia. Being part of a group therapy can positively impact the mental health of the person with dementia as seeing other people facing the same difficulties may make them realize that they are not alone, and being better able to relate to each other could offer room for great handholding. Thus, group therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety levels in people with dementia. In this way, it serves as one avenue to enhance their quality of life.