Impact of day care services on physical and cognitive functions in old people with dementia in a medical center in central Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Day care service (DCS) provides various activities in a professional environment to meet the old people with functional limitations. However, relatively little is known about the effects of DCS on physical and mental functions. METHODS: This was a retrospective study that we used a comprehensive geriatric assessment to evaluate the changes before and after DCS among participants in a hospital-affiliated geriatric day care center in Taiwan. The burden of the participants’ families was also assessed. RESULTS: The 18 participants with a median age of 80.9 (interquartile range (IQR) 75.2–86.6 y/o) were enrolled and followed up for 6 months. Based on the clinical dementia rating (CDR), disease stage was very mild in 3 participants, mild in 10, moderate in 3, and severe in 2. The activities of daily living (ADL) scores of the participants improved significantly from 75 (IQR 60.0–80.0) at baseline to 77.5 (IQR 65.0–90.0) at the 6 month (p < 0.001), and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) scores from 15 (IQR 11.5–20.0) to 18 (IQR 15.8–24.0) (p = 0.026). There was a positive correlation of baseline mini-nutritional assessment-short form score and the 3-level version of the European Quality of Life-5 dimensions utility index with both ADL and MMSE scores at the 6-month follow-up. In addition, the family burden scale was reduced from 22 to 15 (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The physical and cognitive functions in old people with dementia who received DCS were maintained or partially improved, and their families’ stress burden was alleviated.