{Reference Type}: Randomized Controlled Trial
{Title}: Effect of Nordic Sensi® Chair on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia in Nursing Homes Residents: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
{Author}: García-Alberca JM;de la Rosa MD;Solo de Zaldívar P;Ledesma M;Oltra E;Gris E;Ocejo O;Torrecilla J;Zafra C;Sánchez-Fernández A;Mancilla T;López-Romero M;Jerez R;Santana N;Lara JP;Barbancho MÁ;Blanco-Reina E;
{Journal}: J Alzheimers Dis
{Volume}: 96
{Issue}: 4
{Year}: 2023 Nov 21
{Factor}: 4.16
{DOI}: 10.3233/JAD-230391
{Abstract}: Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are present in most people with dementia (PwD), including Alzheimer's disease. There is consensus that non-pharmacological therapies represent the first line of treatment to address BPSD.
We explore the efficacy of the use of a rocking chair (Nordic Sensi® Chair, NSC) in the treatment of BPSD in nursing home residents with moderate and severe dementia.
We carried out a 16-week randomized, single-blind, controlled, clinical trial with PwD admitted to nursing homes. Participants were assigned to a treatment group (n = 40) that received three times a week one session per day of 20 minutes in the NSC and a control group (n = 37). The Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Nursing Home (NPI-NH) was used as primary efficacy outcome. Occupational distress for the staff was evaluated using the NPI-NH Occupational Disruptiveness subscale (NPI-NH-OD). Statistical analyses were conducted by means of a Mixed Effects Model Analysis.
Treatment with the NSC was associated with a beneficial effect in most of BPSD, as reflected by differences between the treatment and control group on the NPI-NH total score (mean change score -18.87±5.56 versus -1.74±0.67, p = 0.004), agitation (mean change score -2.32±2.02 versus -0.78±1.44, p = 0.003) and irritability (mean change score -3.35±2.93 versus -1.42±1.31, p = 0.004). The NPI-NH-OD total score also improved the most in the treatment group (mean change score -9.67±7.67 versus -7.66±6.08, p = 0.003).
The reduction in overall BPSD along with decreased caregiver occupational disruptiveness represent encouraging findings, adding to the potential of nonpharmacological interventions for nursing home residents living with dementia.