Cognitive stimulation in elderly with dementia: a contribution of the nursery

Abstract

This study consists in the accompaniment of the cognitive stimulation activity, by scales of appreciation of the basic Activities of Daily Living of Katz, and the appreciation of the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living of Lawton. These tow strategies were developed with the elderly participants of therapeutic workshops, which were part of the Project: the Nursery in the Interdisciplinary Program of Geriatry and Gerontology of the Universidade Federal Fluminense (EPIGG-UFF). The aim of this study is to delineate the profile and to show the results of the scales of Lawton and Katz of the elderly participants of the workshops in the year of 2007. The study consists of a qualitative research in the modality of experiences reports that show the benefits of the cognitive stimulation based on results. The group was formed by 08 elderly people and the profile of this group is: 7 are of the female sex; the ages vary between 61 to 89 years old; the majority is widower; almost all participants live in Niterói; and most of them have Alzheimer disease. The results found in Katz Scales notice that 5 elderly kept their levels during 12 months maintaining their independence for realization of some activities. These outcomes show the preservation of the self-care. In the results of the Lawton scales, we note only a small reduction related to the instrumental activities of daily living. This work allowed visualizing more clearly the profile of this elderly group, their self-care and its reply to the development of the therapeutic workshops, showing the Nursery as great contributory for the rehabilitation.