Date of Paper

5-2016

Type of Paper

Clinical research paper

Degree Name

Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)

Department

Social Work

First Advisor

Catherine Marrs Fuchsel

Department/School

Social Work

Abstract

There is an increase in the amount of people becoming diagnosed with dementia. With that increase, a concern has been created in regards to maintaining a person’s quality of life and intervention strategies to properly maintain their quality of life. The systematic review was set up using peer-reviewed articles published after 2001. The database SocINDEX was used to conduct the search for articles using the terms; “dementia and intervention strategies,” “dementia and non-pharmacological interventions,” “caregiver support,” “dementia and medications,” and “dementia and behavioral interventions.” Out of these searches, 32 articles satisfied criteria for inclusion and were used in the final systematic review. Four themes emerged from the research synthesis regarding what intervention strategies can improve the quality of life for patients with dementia: 1) Validating the Patient’s Sense of Self; 2) The Relationship between Caregiver and Patient 3) The Impact on Patient’s Daily Routine and 4) Depression and Mental Health. The research suggests the importance of including several factors and perspectives in intervention strategies with dementia patients. Moving forward, more research is required with patients with dementia to better understand the impact of interventions with this population. Exploring potential risks of pharmacological interventions as well as the connection between dementia and mental health are also important areas for further study.

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