Supportive seminar groups: an intervention for early stage dementia patients

A supportive seminar group was developed and conducted for individuals with early stage dementia and their caregivers. The eight sessions focused on pertinent topics, namely, coping with memory problems, daily living, self-esteem, relationships, health, legal, and financial concerns. Content analysis of the evaluative statements from nine men and six women patients revealed positive themes of feelings of purposefulness, gratification, belongingness, and survival, while other themes reflected the turmoil of the disease, namely, feelings of helplessness, devaluation, and unpredictability. These preliminary findings lend support to the feasibility of a group approach for early stage dementia patients.