Cognitive Stimulation Therapy for people with dementia

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is the most rigorously evidenced psychosocial intervention for improving cognition and quality of life in people with mild to moderate dementia. Since the establishment of CST Australia in 2023, over 500 new CST facilitators have been trained to deliver CST in aged and community care settings nationally.

This project seeks to convert this momentum into sustainable investment by:

1. identifying the barriers and enablers to implementation in Australian community settings;
2. building the economic case for CST, including savings to the health and aged care systems; and
3. testing whether a scalable workforce model, in which non-professionals facilitate CST groups, is feasible and effective.

This project is supported by funding from the Terry and Maureen Hopkins Foundation.

For further information, reach out to Dr Ananthan Ambikairajah, nathan.dcunha@canberra.edu.au.