Abstract
Introduction
The use of cognitive rehabilitation sessions (CRS) in the care of people with neurodegenerative diseases increased following the 2008-2012 Alzheimer's plan in France. Practitioners work with primary carers to optimise care and ensure a better quality of life at home.
Materials and methods
Multicentre, quantitative, descriptive, observational study. We distributed questionnaires from May to November 2023 to the main carers of patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment who had been prescribed CRSs. Variables were compared using the Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results
We collected 150 questionnaires. Our population had an average age of 81, was predominantly female (55%) and was mainly being followed up for memory (61%) and Alzheimer's disease (58%). The carer was mainly a spouse (74%) or a woman (40%). The majority of patients benefited from a SSIAD (47%) and physiotherapy (34%). 54% of patients benefited from APA. 69% of CRS prescriptions were made by a geriatrician, 19% by a general practitioner. The time taken to prescribe CRSs differed according to the place of follow-up (15 months day hospital vs 26 months GP vs 20 months memory consultation (p=0.03); The average time from prescription to completion of CRS was 3 months.
Concerning the opinion of the main carers: 98% of the main carers considered them beneficial, but in insufficient quantity (67%), 22% did not accept the presence of a team in the home, 21% found the home unsuitable for the sessions
Conclusion
Cognitive rehabilitation sessions should be started as early as possible in the management of cognitive disorders to avoid progression of the disease. Patients treated in HDJ were prescribed cognitive rehabilitation sessions more quickly than patients followed up by their GP or in a memory consultation.