Dementia in elderly patients: can the 3R mental stimulation programme improve mental status?

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.