Evaluation Of MESSAGE Communication Strategy Combined With Group Reminiscence Therapy On Elders With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Objective:This study was based on reminiscence therapy program of previous study and combined with the social and cultural background of China,meanwhile used Smith’s MESSAGE communication strategy as a model,design with Chinese characteristics and low-level multimedia information technology of the group reminiscence therapy program on elders with mild cognitive impairment(MCI)in long-term care facilities in Changchun,Jilin Province.And evaluate the effectiveness of the program on elders with MCI,in order to find an effective way to delay disease process and reduce the risk of developing dementia.Methods:This study is a non-randomized controlled trial.The intervention group with 26 subjects,the control group with 27 subjects.Members of intervention group received 60~90 minutes session of MESSAGE communication strategy combined with group reminiscence therapy once a week for 12 weeks.Control group included participants who did not receive any intervention measures.Primary outcomes of this study included scores on Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL),the Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS),Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE),the Beijing version of the Motreal Cognitive Assessment(Mo CA),and Chinese version of Short-Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire(SF-36).While scores on the Beijing version of Mo CA and Chinese SF-36 served as basis of both secondary and third outcomes.Cognitive function and quality of life were assessed at baseline and after six and 12 weeks.Results:1.Respondents’ characteristics No significant difference was observed in age,gender,marital status,educational level,profession,religious belief,drinking situation,smoking status,and disease situation of intervention and control groups(P>0.05).Thus,subjects of the two groups were homogeneous considering above mentioned variables.2.Cognitive function There was no significant difference in cognitive function in elderly people with MCI of both groups(P>0.05).Compared with control group,intervention group exhibited significant enhancement in total Mo CA at six weeks and 12 weeks(P<0.05),and the intervention factor and time factor of total Mo CA exist interaction(P<0.05);meanwhile for the language,delayed memory dimension of Mo CA,significant improvements were observed in intervention group at six weeks and 12 weeks(P<0.05),and the delayed memory dimension of Mo CA is on the rise with time;although for the orientation dimension of Mo CA,both groups showed significant decrease at six and 12 weeks,the index score of control group is still lower than intervention group(P<0.05).3.Quality of life There was no significant difference in the quality of life in elderly people with MCI of both groups(P>0.05).Compared with control group,intervention group exhibited significant enhancement in general health,vitality and mental health at six weeks(P<0.05);and significant improvements in for general health,vitality,role-emotional and mental health at 12 weeks;among them,the intervention factor and time factor of the general health,vitality,role-emotional,and mental health dimension of quality of life exist interaction(P<0.05),and the mental health dimension of quality of life is on the rise with time,but the index score of control group is still lower than intervention group(P<0.05).Conclusions:We concluded that application of MESSAGE communication strategy combined with group reminiscence therapy in long-term care facilities improved cognitive function and quality of life of elderly people with MCI,thereby delaying disease process and reducing the risk of developing dementia.Meanwhile,it not only can enrich the content of the theme and provide visual and sensory stimulation for elderly people with MCI,also increase the fun of reminiscence group activities.