This week, we’re diving into one of the murkiest waters of SLP practice: cognitive interventions for people with dementia. When you hear “Well, can’t you just work on following directions?”—do you cry inside? Same. That’s why we’re unpacking a meta-analysis to give you the research-backed confidence to stand your ground.

We reviewed “Do cognitive interventions improve general cognition in dementia? A meta-analysis and meta-regression” by Huntley et al. to understand what works, what doesn’t, and what’s still unclear when it comes to treating dementia in a meaningful way. Spoiler alert: only treatment shown to have a positive impact on standardized testing, but there’s still a long way to go when it comes to proving quality-of-life improvements.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between Cognitive Therapy (CT), Cognitive Stimulation (CS), and Cognitive Rehabilitation (CR)

• What type of cognitive intervention showed the most promise in research

• Why “following directions” is not a valid treatment goal in moderate-severe dementia

• How to collaborate with your Activities Department to support patients meaningfully

• How to justify “eval-only” decisions

• Tips for educating staff and advocating for appropriate referrals

• Why you might want to brush up on your group therapy policies

Articles Referenced:

Huntley, J.D., et al. Do cognitive interventions improve general cognition in dementia? A meta-analysis and meta-regression. BMJ Open, 2015

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