Online Life Story Book
This is an exemplary project in the <Narrative intervention> research line.
At present, about 260.000 people with dementia live in the Netherlands. This number will double over the coming twenty years. Dementia has a high burden for patients, informal caregivers and society. About two thirds of persons with dementia is estimated to live at home, but this number will increase given changes in long-term care. However, living at home with a good quality of life is not easy to achieve. Dementia is often accompanied by neuropsychiatric symptoms like apathy, agitation, hallucinations, depression, and anxiety. This is also related to the quality of life of the patient. Whereas the cognitive deterioration can hardly be influenced, it is possible to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms. A good fit with the personal world of the person with dementia is an important condition for interventions. Reminiscence interventions can contribute as the recollection of valuable personal memories can give feelings of pleasure and trust. Memories are part of the autobiographical memory system that remains intact for a relatively long time in dementia. The Online Life Story Book (OLSB) is an intervention that nicely ties in with these changes in care for persons with dementia. The current study therefore wants to assess the effectiveness of this intervention for people with early dementia and their informal caregivers.
Funding Agency:
Partners:
Years: 2016-2018
Contact: Teuntje Elfrink