Table 1 Scheme of the study groups: study intervention program

Education

3 days; 6 caregivers per nursing home

Intervention

• one-to-one session as an individual nursing intervention

• once a week for 20 minutes

• 3 residents per caregiver

Procedure

The aim of reminiscence is to stimulate memory and mood of demented people in the context of resident's life history, if applicable with the aid of sensory stimuli, e.g. photographs.

Experimental group 2 (N = 5 nursing homes): 10-minutes activation

Education

3 days; 6 caregivers per nursing home

Intervention

• one-to-one session as an individual nursing intervention

• twice a week for 10 minutes

• 3 residents per caregiver

Procedure

The aim is to stimulate memory and all senses (visual, auditory, tactile and so on) by the use of different stimuli related to the resident and physical activation.

Experimental group 3 (N = 5 nursing homes): Snoezelen

Education

3 days; 6 caregivers per nursing home

Intervention

• one-to-one session as an individual nursing intervention

• once a week for 20 minutes

• 3 residents per caregiver

Procedure

The aim is to improve the well-being of demented people by positive stimulation of their senses (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory and gustatory stimulation) with different materials in a multisensory stimulation room or in the resident's room with a mobile snoezelen unit.

Control Group (N = 5 nursing homes): Unstructured verbal communication

Instruction

1 day; 6 caregivers per nursing home

Active comparator

• one-to-one session as an individual nursing intervention

• once a week for 20 minutes

• 3 residents per caregiver

Procedure

The participants in the control group receive individual contacts with the same intensity by verbal conversation about everyday life without specific strategies.