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Dementia Care

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

CST for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is a brief, evidence-based, nonmedicinal treatment approach for persons with mild to moderate dementia. CST was designed in England by Dr. Aimee Spector and several dementia experts, following extensive evaluation of research evidence. Evidence shows that CST can be as effective, and in some cases, more effective, than medications in treating the symptoms of dementia, without any reported side effects. Most noted are improvements in memory, concentration, language and verbal skills. CST is modeled after a program created by Dr. Aimee Spector and colleagues in the United Kingdom (University College London).

CST is a group therapy program structured as small, themed-based group sessions involving 14 or more sessions of themed activities. It is a seven-week program that meets for one hour twice a week at Perry County Memorial Hospital (PCMH). Also available is a maintenance program for individuals who have participated in a CST group and would like to continue meeting on a regular basis. Additionally, we offer individual CST sessions for those who are frail and/or not able to participate in a group setting.

PCMH's CST program is administered by highly trained and experienced staff.

Janice LundyJanice Lundy, BSW, MA, MHA

CST Program Director and Co-Facilitator

Lundy is currently the Director of Social Work and Geriatric Case Management at PCMH. She is a medical social worker and has Master's degrees in both gerontology and health care administration. She is a certified dementia practitioner and a core trainer for the North America Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Training Center at Saint Louis University Geriatric Education Center. Lundy was instrumental in bringing Cognitive Stimulation Therapy to PCMH. She and a colleague were trained in the techniques and principles of delivering CST at the University College London (UCL). In 2014, she joined a team at Saint Louis University Geriatric Education Center developing and providing CST education for the U.S. As a part of that team, we developed a CST "Train the Trainer" toolkit and assisted in the formation of the North America CST Training Center (Aging.slu.edu-cognitive stimulation therapy).

Deborah HaydenDeborah Hayden, RN, BSN, OTR/L

CST Co-Facilitator

Hayden has a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. She also obtained a second Bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from St. Louis University. Hayden is a certified dementia practitioner and a core trainer for the North America Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) Training Center at Saint Louis University Geriatric Education Center.

Hayden is a co-facilitator for the CST program and was trained in CST at UCL. Her focus in occupational therapy has been in pediatric and adult outpatient rehab with an emphasis on ocular (vision) motor and learning disorders. Currently, along with CST, she is focusing her practice on outpatient adult and pediatric as well as inpatient hospital care. Hayden also has experience as a therapist consultant for the National Association for Child Development (NACD).

Contact Us

For more information on the origins and evidence for CST, please visit cstdementia.com. If you or a family member are 55 years or older and suffer from mild memory loss or feel the need to be screened for memory issues, please contact your physician for a referral or call 573.768.3387.

CST Training

For information on receiving training in Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, contact Lundy at jlundy@pchmo.org.

Care of Persons with Dementia in their Environments (C.O.P.E.)

Care of Persons with Dementia (C.O.P.E.) is a practical program, working with the person with dementia and their caregiver together to help the person with dementia to continue to live at home. C.O.P.E. is provided in the home environment. The program provides caregiver education on modifying tasks, the environment and/or communication in order to improve the person with dementia ability to function in the home environment.

The program is evidence-based, with research showing that C.O.P.E. helps individuals living with dementia maintain and improve their quality of life and helps their caregivers better manage daily care challenges.

If you are caring for someone with dementia who is experiencing symptoms, such as decreasing functional independence or behavioral and psychological symptoms, and would like more information about the COPE program, contact Perry County Home Health Department at 573-547-7133.