Further evaluation of programs for promoting daily activities and indoor orientation and travel in persons with moderate Alzheimer's disease

These two studies extended the assessment of programs recently developed for promoting activity and orientation in persons with moderate Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, Study I pursued a new evaluation of a program, in which pictorial instructions of activity steps are presented on a computer screen at preset intervals. Study II pursued a new evaluation of a program using music and strobe lights (emitted at the destinations) as spatial cues to support indoor orientation and travel. Six participants were included, three per study. The results of Study I showed that the participants reached high percentages of correct steps in each of the two activities targeted. The results of Study II showed that the participants had high percentages of correct orientation and travel within their day care context. The results of both studies were in line with the data of previous studies in these areas. The practical implications of these results for helping participants with moderate Alzheimer's disease manage activity engagement and orientation/travel are discussed.