An article by Sonia Terrón Pérez,
Occupational Therapist in home care, responsible for
The cognitive stimulation It is defined as the set of techniques and strategies that aim to activate, stimulate and train the different capacities and cognitive functions (perception, attention, reasoning, abstraction, memory, language, orientation processes, praxis, calculation, etc.), through a series of situations and specific activities aimed at improving and/or maintaining cognitive functioning in general.
It’s kind of Non-Pharmacological Therapy which is used for maintain or delay the deterioration of cognitive abilities, in people who suffer from cognitive impairment or neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal, vascular dementia, etc. Also, keeps abilities preserved for as long as possiblecompensates existing deficits, avoids disconnection from the environment, increases self-esteem and personal autonomy, improves functional capacities, behavior and affectivity and, in general, improves the quality of life of the person and that of their family.
Cognitive stimulation at home is an option for those people with difficulties in traveling due to physical, cognitive or other problems
The cognitive stimulation at home It is an option for those people with difficulties in moving around due to physical, cognitive or other problems, or due to the distance from their home. Also, it can be an alternative for those people who went to associations, day centers, centers for the elderly… and who for various reasons have stopped attending, generating in these people an abandonment of habits and routines, sedentary lifestyle, stress, isolation social, a worsening or deterioration at a physical, cognitive, emotional and/or functional level.
He cognitive work at home It is carried out on an individual level with exercises, programs and specific activities with which the stimulation of various capacities such as attention, concentration, perception, orientation (temporal, spatial and personal), memory (short and long term, semantic, episodic, etc.), language (verbal expression, reading ability, writing, oral comprehension and writing, reasoning, etc.), calculation and logic (numerical recognition and operations), praxias (execution and production of voluntary motor acts), gnosias (recognition of visual, auditory, tactile stimuli and naming) and functions executive skills such as judgment, abstract reasoning, and activity planning.
There are many cognitive stimulation exercises that can be done. From paper cards, manipulative games, exercise books, written or oral activities based on the evocation of memories (reminiscence), on orientation to reality, among others. Audiovisual resources, interactive exercises, programs, platforms and computer or tablet games can be used.
Before beginning cognitive stimulation at home, the specialized professional performs a first cognitive assessment with the aim of establishing a individualized care plan adapted to each person. It must be personalized, centered on the person, taking into account their individuality, the tests or scales, their personal history and the resources of the environment. With the results obtained, it is determined what capacities the person maintains as well as what type of activities and exercises they can perform. But it is not only the capacities that must be considered, but also their likes and interests for the activity to be productive and meaningful.
In addition to the initial evaluation, a periodic monitoring of the entire process and later a reassessment, to see the evolution of the deficits, in case any change is necessary in the cognitive intervention, as well as the adaptation of the type of activity and the level of difficulty.
It is important that the therapies are supervised and developed by a professional, that carries out the advice, monitoring and validation of the activity. He number of sessions, their duration and frequency The application depends on the needs of each person, although the most common are 50-minute sessions, between 2 and 5 times a week.
One of the advantages of working at home is that you can integrate cognitive stimulation into the person’s daily life, strategies can be applied and resources available at home can be used. Likewise, when going to the patient’s environment, it is possible to detect the needs of both the person and their closest circle. However, treatment should also include the family or caregiver. They are informed and oriented on strategies, on activities and exercises that they can do with their relative according to the capacities that they retain, their tastes and preferences.
In summary, at present, there is no effective treatment for cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the Cognitive stimulation contributes to slow the evolution of cognitive deterioration and improve the quality of life of the affected person and their family. In addition, research has shown that Non-Pharmacological Therapies, such as cognitive stimulation, can be as effective, or even in some cases more, than the use of drugs for the treatment of some of the main symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases.