Alzheimer's Patients Benefit from Storytelling

Patients suffering from forms of dementia such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) may benefit extensively from participating in storytelling sessions, where they can hear someone reciting old tales.

This is the conclusion of a new scientific study on the issue, which was carried out by researchers at the University of Missouri. They subjected dementia patients to an intervention called TimeSlips.

The sessions involved no drugs whatsoever, but rather focused on creative storytelling, and on encouraging the participants to take part in the entire thing. Doing so improved communication skills in people with Alzheimer's, and had a positive overall effect on their mood.

The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that more than 16 million people will be diagnosed with the condition in the United States alone in the next 40 years. As such, determining courses of action to alleviate the symptoms of this disease is a critical objective in medicine.

Most often, AD patients experience memory loss, disorientation, difficulties in walking and speaking, as well as sudden changes in mood and behavior. Modern drugs against this form of dementia have not to date yielded significant positive results.

During TimeSlips sessions, participants are encouraged to use their imagination to create a common short story, authored by the entire group. Experts known as facilitators are also present at these meetings, and their role is to facilitate communication.

“TimeSlips provides rich, engaging opportunities for persons with dementia to interact with others while exercising their individual strengths,” explains scientist Lorraine Phillips, PhD.

“It encourages participants to be actively involved and to experience moments of recognition, creation and celebration. Meaningful activities, such as TimeSlips, promote positive social environments that are central to person-centered care,” she adds.

Phillips holds an appointment as an assistant professor in the UM Sinclair School of Nursing. “TimeSlips offers a stimulating alternative to typical activities in long-term care facilities,” she adds.

“It is an effective and simple option for care providers, especially those who lack resources or skills required for art, music or other creative interventions,” the expert goes on to say.

Details of the new investigation appear in a recent paper, published in the latest issue of the scientific journal Nursing Research, PsychCentral reports.