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A pilot study of community-based occupational therapy for persons with dementia (COTID-IT Program) and their caregivers: evidence for applicability in Italy

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Abstract

Objective

To assess the applicability in Italy of a community-based occupational therapy program (COTID) on occupational performance of persons with dementia and their caregivers.

Methods

Prospective cohort study: twenty-seven older persons with mild-to-moderate dementia living in the community and their primary caregivers were included. Ten sessions of occupational therapy over 5 weeks were delivered. Main outcome measures were the level of performance and satisfaction perceived by people with dementia during the participation in significant activities assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM); caregiver burden assessed with the sense of competence questionnaire (SCQ).

Results

The average age of the population was 80.59 ± 8.46 in persons with dementia and 57.78 ± 13.47 in the caregivers. There was a significant improvement in the caregivers’ burden in the SCQ (pre treatment 77.19 ± 13.27 vs 82.56 ± 12.57 post treatment; p = .005). Persons with dementia showed a significant improvement in the COPM performance (4.56 ± 1.44 vs 6.68 ± 1.59; p = .000) as well as in the satisfaction (5.08 ± 1.84 vs 7.04 ± 1.71; p = .000). No significant variations were registered in the overall cognitive functions, behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, daily functioning, depressive symptoms, perceived quality of life and global health of people with dementia. There was also no difference in the quality of life, global health, depression or burden in the caregivers.

Conclusions

The study shows that the COTID program is applicable in the Italian context. The findings suggest a positive effect on patients and caregivers providing a preliminary support for the program implementation at a national level.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the ASDAM Association in Mirandola for the support and Dr. Mirna Mai for technical help with the translation during the writing process of this paper.

Funding

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI), Manno, Switzerland

    Christian Pozzi

  2. NODAIA Unit, Private Hospital Villa Igea, Modena, Italy

    Alessandro Lanzoni

  3. Deparment of Rehabilitation Fondazione Camplani, Cremona, Italy

    Elena Lucchi & Alessandro Morandi

  4. Geriatric Research Group, Brescia, Italy

    Christian Pozzi, Elena Lucchi & Alessandro Morandi

  5. Cognitive Disorders and Dementia Unit, Health Trust of Modena and University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy

    Alessandro Lanzoni, Lucia Bergamini, Petra Bevilacqua, Barbara Manni, Glenda Garzetta, Sara Barbieri, Sana Khazri & Andrea Fabbo

  6. Department of Psychology, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Rabih Chattat

  7. Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Maud Graff

Authors
  1. Christian Pozzi
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  2. Alessandro Lanzoni
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  3. Elena Lucchi
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  4. Lucia Bergamini
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  5. Petra Bevilacqua
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  6. Barbara Manni
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  7. Glenda Garzetta
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  8. Sara Barbieri
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  9. Sana Khazri
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  10. Rabih Chattat
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  11. Maud Graff
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  12. Andrea Fabbo
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  13. Alessandro Morandi
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Contributions

Study conception and design—all authors. Acquisition of data—Pozzi, Lanzoni, Lucchi, Bergamini, Bevilacqua, Manni, Garzetta, Barbieri, Khazri, Chattat. Interpretation of results—all authors. Drafted manuscript—Pozzi, Lanzoni, Morandi. Critically revised the manuscript—all authors. Final approval of manuscript—all authors.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Pozzi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interests.

Statement of human and animal rights

All procedures performed including human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from patients and caregivers at study enrollment.

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Pozzi, C., Lanzoni, A., Lucchi, E. et al. A pilot study of community-based occupational therapy for persons with dementia (COTID-IT Program) and their caregivers: evidence for applicability in Italy. Aging Clin Exp Res 31, 1299–1304 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-1078-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-018-1078-7

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