Evidence-based practice recommendations for working with individuals with dementia: Computer-assisted cognitive interventions (CACIs)

The Dementia Practice Guidelines (DPG) Writing Committee was formed to develop clinical practice guidelines for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working with individuals who have dementia. This committee performed a systematic and thorough review of the literature related to assessment and management of individuals with dementia of the Alzheimer type, followed by an examination and classification of the literature based on predetermined criteria (see Frattali et al., 2003 for an in-depth discussion of best practice guidelines in speech-language pathology). In this clinical report, the level of scientific evidence related to computer-assisted cognitive interventions (CACIs) is examined, with findings and recommendations summarized. The three studies reviewed were judged to provide Class II evidence supporting the use of CACIs for persons with dementia. This article contains information about the characteristics of study participants, the nature and format of CACIs implemented, outcomes of the interventions, methodological limitations, data trends across studies, recommendations for clinical practice, and future research directions.