A Study on the Effectiveness of Individual and Group Therapy Approaches in Patients with Dementia

Objective : This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of individual and group therapy approaches for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and to examine the intervention effects in terms of cognitive function, depression, and quality of life. Methods : A total of 30 elderly individuals diagnosed with MCI for more than six months, residing in 00 City, Gyeongnam, were selected for the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either the individual therapy group or the group therapy group, with 15 participants in each group. The intervention program was conducted twice a week for four weeks, totaling eight sessions, with each session lasting 30 minutes. Results : Both individual and group therapy approaches showed statistically significant improvements in cognitive function, depression, and quality of life after the intervention. However, there was no statistically significant difference in the amount of change between the two groups. Conclusion : This study is meaningful in that it directly compared and analyzed the effectiveness of individual and group therapy approaches for community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment.