Audio presence intervention for decreasing agitation in people with dementia

A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of sensory, psychological and behavioural interventions for managing agitation in older adults with dementia

“…151 In contrast, one low-quality, low number study of exercise, 152 two of simulated presence 187,188 and one of home-like care 153 were effective, unlike the higher-quality studies. Special care units had mixed results, with the larger studies not showing an effect.…”

Effectiveness of simulated presence therapy for individuals with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Several of the original eight studies identified by the literature search found that SPT increased agitation or disruptive behaviours in some participants (Garland, Beer, Eppingstall, & O'Connor, 2007;Miller et al, 2001;Peak & Cheston, 2002). These findings highlight the importance of assessing participants' suitability for 'emotion-oriented approaches' (Finnema et al, 2000) such as SPT, and monitoring their responses closely.…”

“…There was substantial variation between the studies in the measures used to assess challenging behaviour, and the procedures employed to administer the SPT intervention. For example, within the Woods and Ashley (1995) study, participants were scheduled to receive SPT twice a day when behaviour problems were anticipated, whereas within the Miller et al (2001) study staff members only used SPT after identifying an episode of agitation. In addition, not all studies had control groups and, where they did, staff were not always blind to the treatment allocation condition.…”

Behavioural symptoms of dementia in residential settings: A selective review of non-pharmacological interventions

“…In two typical studies focusing on BPSD (Haffmans, 2001;Lyketsos et al, 1999) bright light therapy was poorly tolerated and ineffective. There are also no adequate trials of Simulated Presence Therapy, in which tapes of familiar voices are played to residents (Camberg et al, 1999;Miller et al, 2001;Peak & Cheston, 2002). These studies show no consistent positive effect on BPSD and distress was reported in some residents.…”