Social facilitation | Group: social clubs, day programs Individual: video conference with family, interactive video games, chat rooms |
Most successful group interventions include an educational or psychosocial focus14,35–38,40 Technology studied primarily on the individual level in both the community and institutions14,37,39–42,46
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Psychological therapies | Humour therapy, mindfulness-based stress reduction, cognitive enhancement programs, reminiscence group therapy |
Led by health care professionals Difficult to determine the effect of the group itself vs therapy43,44,46
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Animal based | Live animal visits, robotic dogs |
Both likely effective39,40,43 Primarily studied in long-term care and residential care
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Physical activity | Exercise, exercise plus leisure, nutrition | • Successful interventions are more likely to have a health care provider involved in implementation and to be delivered more than once weekly38 |
Health and social care | Identification and referrals for at-risk individuals, outreach, geriatric rehabilitation | • Involve trained individuals or health care professionals37,43,45,46 |
Befriending | One-on-one volunteer visits, telephone support |
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Leisure and skill development | Gardening, arts, cooking, sports, computer training, music |
Computer and Internet training likely effective14,40,41,43,46 Leisure activities are more effective with exercise or social support38
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