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Abstract
Multidimensional Stimulation Therapy (MST) is a group activity program, based on cognitive stimulation, recreational-occupational activities and physical/psychomotor exercises, which has been shown to determine an improvement in people with Alzheimer (PWA) as far as behavioral aspects and some cognitive functions are concerned. MST considers PWA condition in its complexity and not only as the sum of symptoms. In MST each component has a specific aim: reality orientation and cognitive activities are thought to limit cognitive deterioration and to allow a better participation of PWA in his/her environment. Occupational and recreational activities have two objectives: maintaining functional abilities in everyday life and, above all, reducing disturbing behaviors by favoring socialization and improving self-esteem and mood. Recreational activities also both improve mood and stimulate cognitive functions. Physical and psychomotor activities promote general well-being and favor socialization. The MST also associates different levels of intervention: the first level focuses on PWA (with the techniques described above), the second level involves the caregiver while the third one the dyad PWA-caregiver. The aim of this paper is to precisely describe the practical details of MST, in order to allow dissemination of this technique to all interested centers, where they have in charge PWA in the mild to moderate phase of the disease.
Keywords: Multidimensional Stimulation Therapy (MST), Cognitive Stimulation, Occupational Therapy, Alzheimer's Dementia, Recreational therapy, Psycho-motor therapy
Introduction
In the last years the scientific interest towards rehabilitation potential of people with Alzheimer (PWA) has been growing more and more. Even if non-pharmacological approaches cannot heal the disease, PWA could benefit from rehabilitation procedures.
Different non-pharmacological therapies have now been proposed. Cognitive stimulation is a group therapy focusing on orientation and residual cognitive abilities, and it's probably the most well studied technique in this field. It has a very long history, emerging from the bright intuition of Reality Orientation Therapy (ROT) pioneers who developed it in the late 1950s to manage confusion and disorientation in older patients in USA Hospital Units (Taulbee & Folsom, 1966). The most defined form of this technique is the cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) developed in Great Britain. CST incorporates the positive aspects of ROT : space, time and personnel orientation of the patient through stimulation, frequent feedback, use of the calendar, clock and...