Single blinded randomized control study on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for Chinese people with mild neurocognitive disorder

Background: In Hong Kong, there were around 70, 000 people with neurocognitive disorder in 2006, and the number is expected to escalate to 330, 000 by the year 2050. Among them, about 85% suffered from mild neurocognitive disorder. This continuing increase in the population of people with neurocognitive disorder will be a great burden on both medical and social care systems. At present, pharmacological treatments for mild neurocognitive disorder are found to have small benefits on cognitive decline and symptoms.

Recently, cognitive stimulation therapy (CST), which is referred as a cognitive based non-pharmacological interventions that targets cognitive and social functioning, has been developed in UK and internationally. Research evidences have found that people with mild neurocognitive disorder can benefit from CST by improving cognitive functioning, improving quality of life, reducing depression, and reducing behavioural problems. Moreover, CST is also found to be more cost effective th an treatment as usual.

Objective: This research project thus aims to develop a CST group model which is suitable for local Chinese elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder and to evaluate its effectiveness.

Research Design: In this study, a single blind randomized control trial will be adopted. 164 people with mild neurocognitive disorder, recruiting from local district elderly community centres (DECCs), will be randomly assigned to a CST group (i.e. treatment group) or a control group. The CST group will last for fourteen sessions (two sessions a week; each session lasting for 75 minutes), while the control group just receive standard service from local DECCs. Standardized assessment tools will be conducted with all participants at pre-treatment, post-treatment and 4th month follow up periods, so as to investigate the outcomes of the CST group just after treatment as well as its long term effects.

Hypothesis: A CST group can improve cognitive ability and reduce depressive mood for Chinese people with mild neurocognitive disorder.

Significance: It is anticipated that this indigenized CST group model yields positive outcomes, and that it is easily be implemented at local elderly centres so that thousands of people with mild neurocognitive disorder can benefit from this project.

Work done by the Principal Investigator The Principle Investigator (PI) conducted the first pilot study on a CST group for Chinese elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder, and found that after completing CST training, all 55 participants had shown significant improvement in MMSE. These positive findings support the feasibility of this present research project.