1. BENEFITS OF INDIVIDUAL VS. GROUP COGNITIVE
PSYCHOSTIMULATION IN DEMENTIAS
USING THE HOFFMANN METHOD
C. Hoffmann Muñoz-Seca, A. del Avellanal Calzadilla, I. Solanas Carcasés, T. Salinas de Ugarte, B. Montero Sánchez del Corral
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE
Cognitive therapy is a type of psychotherapy which aims at reducing or slowing down cognitive and functional
deterioration through systematic, structured training of the different cognitive areas that are still preserved,
avoiding the disuse that may occur as a result of the tendency towards lack of activity in persons with dementia.
Individual cognitive stimulation carried out by a neuropsychologist includes psychotherapeutic tools used to
improve cognitive and behavioral symptoms when treating patients with dementia. The objective of this study was
to evaluate whether the Hoffmann method’s therapy of Cognitive Psychostimulation on an individual basis brings
greater benefits in the higher intellectual functions than group Cognitive Stimulation in patients with clinically
diagnosed dementia.
MATERIAL AND METHOD
The prospective and observational study lasted for 12 months and was carried out with a sample of 50 persons
diagnosed with dementia, who were treated in Vitalia Day Center Ferraz, using therapies established by the
Hoffmann Method. The sample was randomly divided in two groups, group A: group stimulation, 30 persons, 5
weekly sessions, 2 hours in length. and group B: individual stimulation, 20 persons, 2 weekly sessions, 1 hour in
length. Following the evaluation protocol, the scores obtained by both groups in the Lobo Mini Mental State Exam
prior to the start of therapy and upon concluding treatment were compared.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained in the study show improvement
in both groups but what stands out statistically
is the benefit obtained in group B (individual
psychostimulation).
A: 24.93/25.33
B:23.6/26.45
This confirms the importance of personalizing
cognitive psychostimulation interventions
in persons with dementia.