Meaningful activity for long-term care residents with dementia: A comparison of activities and raters

Abstract

Purpose of the Study: Engagement in meaningful activities is associated with positive outcomes for persons with dementia, yet studies demonstrating quantitative evidence for which activities can be considered meaningful are lacking. We investigated MemPics™, a program designed to promote meaningful activity for individuals with dementia through engagement and cognitive stimulation. It was compared with other recreation activities offered in U.S. long-term care facilities to determine whether MemPics™ was rated as having more meaningful activity from both the perspectives of participants and recreation staff. Design and Methods: Long-term care residents with mild to moderate dementia that met eligibility criteria were randomly assigned to an activity group (treatment, control). Participants completed 2 sessions of either the experimental or control group activity with facility recreation staff. Both participants and staff rated each activity in terms of meaningfulness following each session. Results: Of the enrolled participants (N = 126), study analyses were based on the 94 participants (n = 48 treatment and n = 46 control; M age = 82.98 ± 9.63) who completed the activity sessions. Compared to the control group activities, MemPics™ had significantly higher participant and staff ratings of meaningfulness. Scores between the 2 rater types were significantly different, with staff reporting higher meaningful activity than participants. Further support for MemPics™ was found in exit survey responses from participating staff. Implications: We discuss the merits and shortcoming of this study, the utility of MemPics™ for providing meaningful engagement in long-term care residents with mild to moderate dementia, and ideas for future research.