Tele-Rehabilitation for People with Dementia during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case-Study from England

Introduction: The Promoting Activity, Independence and Stability in Early Dementia (PrAISED) is delivering an exercise programme for people with dementia. The Lincolnshire partnership National Health Service (NHS) foundation Trust successfully delivered PrAISED through a video-calling platform during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: This qualitative case-study aimed to identify participants that video delivery worked for, to highlight its benefits and its challenges. Interviews were conducted between May and August 2020 with five participants with dementia and their caregivers (n = 10), as well as five therapists from the Lincolnshire partnership NHS foundation Trust. The interviews were analysed through thematic analysis. Results: Video delivery worked best when participants had a supporting caregiver and when therapists showed enthusiasm and had an established rapport with the client. Benefits included time efficiency of sessions, enhancing participants’ motivation, caregivers’ dementia awareness, and therapists’ creativity. Limitations included users’ poor IT skills and resources. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic required innovative ways of delivering rehabilitation. This study supports that people with dementia can use tele-rehabilitation, but success is reliant on having a caregiver and an enthusiastic and known therapist.