How patients with mild dementia living in a nursing home benefit from dementia cafés: a case-control study focusing on psychological and behavioural symptoms and caregiver burden

<p><strong>Background:&nbsp;</strong>Dementia is a syndrome, mainly due to neurodegeneration, affecting cognition, behaviour, feelings and relationships. Pharmacological treatment is still challenging and thus different ways to improve/slow down the disease are necessary.</p> <p><strong>Methods:&nbsp;</strong>Twenty-five subjects with mild dementia, living in a nursing home, and their relatives were invited to attend a dementia cafe, a community group which provides support for families affected by dementia. Each patient was evaluated by a neuropsychologist, through the administration of a specific neuropsychological battery, before and at the end of the study. Their outcomes were compared to a matched group of patients with dementia receiving psycho-counselling.</p> <p><strong>Results:&nbsp;</strong>After the dementia cafe meetings, patients showed higher significant changes in mood (P &lt; 0.01), behavioural symptoms (P &lt; 0.001), quality of life (P &lt; 0.001), and caregiver burden (P &lt; 0.001). The control group significantly improved only in quality of life with a reduction of caregiver burden.</p> <p><strong>Conclusions:&nbsp;</strong>Our findings confirm that patients with dementia may benefit from the dementia cafe, especially concerning behavioural symptoms. Moreover, caregivers find these caf&eacute;s to be welcoming, relaxed places to socialise and access support and information. Future dementia caf&eacute;s should create programs and comfortable environments answering to the different needs of the patients.</p>