Online Psychoeducational Programmes and Multicomponent Exercise for the Patients with Mild Dementia and their Caregivers: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: Dementia is a chronic disorder which, mainly, affects people over 65 years old. It is estimated that it affects over 50.000.000 people around the world. Non- pharmacological strategies can play a vital role in dementia, considering that most of them are low-cost, safe and have no side effects. Psychoeducational programmes aim to inform the informal caregivers about dementia and its progress, and exercise has been showing positive effects in dementia. Their combination has been examined lately in a few studies in terms of enhancing the cognitive functions and quality of life for both patients and caregivers and decrease the unwanted behaviours.

Methods: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Cochrane Library were searched to identify randomized controlled trials published during 2015-2023.

Results: Four RCTs have been found, which combined psychoeducation with multicomponent training programme. The studies aimed to find if the combination enhanced the cognitive abilities of the patients, and the quality of life for both patients and their caregivers. The studies did not examine the effect of the combination in terms of decreasing the behavioural and psychological symptoms in dementia. The psychoeducation programme aimed to inform the informal caregivers about dementia and what to expect next from the patients, and multicomponent exercise aimed to train the patients in terms of endurance, flexibility, balance and strength.

Conclusions: The combination showed promising results in three out of four studies, however there is a strong need for more studies with better study design and measurements, which will examine if the combination has positive results on decreasing the behavioural symptoms and if the positive results last.