Major Purpose

Over 4 million older adults in the United States suffer from dementia. If a cure or preventative measures are not discovered, that number will approach 14 million by the year 2050. Older adults with dementia often have poor quality of life because they loose abilities they once had for engaging in a wide range of activities that, in a major way, defined who they were.

The goal of our project is to improve quality of life for nursing home residents by using recreational activities that are tailored to their remaining strengths and basic interests. To date we have found that these specially selected activities improve engagement, affect and reduce agitation.

Our current project is a 4-year study that is funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research and is being conducted in nursing homes throughout Pennsylvania. We encourage you to meet our staff and read more about the types of recreational activities we have found to be most effective for persons with dementia.