Effectiveness of Home Based Occupational Therapy for Dementia.

Effectiveness of an Optimized Home Based Occupational Therapy for Patients With Dementia.

The purpose of this study is to determine if a home based occupational therapy is effective in the treatment of dementia.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Dementia (according to DSM-IV TR)
2. A score 26 to 12 on the MMSE
3. Must be 55 or older
4. Patient is living at home or therapeutical flat sharing
5. Primary care giver at least 2 days / week available at home
6. Written informed consent from patient and care giver
7. German as dominant language

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Other dementia (p.e. frontotemporal dementia, dementia with Lewy Bodies, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Parkinson's disease or atypical Parkinson's syndromes
2. Dementia with relevant displaying behavioural problems (neuropsychiatric Inventory; NPI, Subscore ≥ 8)
3. Depressive episodes (Geriatric Depression Scale, GDS (short version) ≥ 6)
4. Mental disability
5. Home Based Occupational Therapy for Dementia within the last 6 months
6. Impairment of visual and/or acoustic cognition which does not allow Occupational Therapy
7. Apoplexy with movement disorders which does not allow Occupational Therapy
8. Severe physical/systemic illnesses (cardio-pulmonal, Hematological or metabolic) which do not allow participating
9. Recent history of addictive disorder
10. Intermittent intake of depressant medication, that likely causes an impairment of cognitive performance during the trial
11. Participation in another clinical trial