Dementia in Elderly Patients: Can the 3R Mental Stimulation Programme improve Mental Status?

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Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine whether the 3R mental stimulation programme can improve the mental status score (MSS) of a group of patients with dementia attending a day care centre. Fifteen patients with dementia attending a day care centre were exposed to the 3R stimulation programme over eight weeks while 15 controls were not. All patients from both groups were subjected to pre- and post-exposure questionnaires modified from the Mental Status Questionnaire of Kahn et al. A mental status score (MSS) was thus calculated on both occasions. All patients in the exposed group showed an improved mental status score, with the mean ‘pre-exposure’ and ‘post-exposure’ scores of 4.4 and 7.3, respectively (p < 0.001; paired t test). In contrast, the mental status scores of 12 control patients had deteriorated and mean ‘pre-exposure’ and ‘post-exposure’scores were 4.1 and 3.4, respectively (p<0.05; paired t test). Using multiple covariance analysis, the adjusted ‘post-exposure’mean mental status score was 7.1 for the exposed and 3.6 for the controlled group (p <0.001). The 3R programme appears to be effective for short-term mental stimulation of demented elderly people.

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