Efficacy of Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy on People with Dementia: A Prisma Guided Review

Background: Individual Cognitive stimulation therapy (iCST) is one of the evidence-based treatments for people with mild to moderate dementia. Aim: To analyze the efficacy of the iCST on cognitive function, quality of life, activities of daily living, neuropsychiatric symptoms, behavioral and psychological symptoms, and depression in people with dementia. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Results: A total of 17 studies were included in the review. Overall, individual Cognitive stimulation therapy can be used as an intervention to improve cognition and quality of life. No significant effects were found on other outcome measures. Conclusions: Individual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy improves the quality of life of the participants of both people with dementia and their carer. It has shown significant improvement in depression. It can potentially be used to improve cognition, but further research may consider the implementation of a standard protocol with a rigorous study design to provide sufficient evidence to address this area.