Effects of spaced retrieval training with errorless learning in the rehabilitation of patients with dementia

[Purpose] Among the non-pharmacological interventions for dementia, spaced retrieval training (SRT) is a good method for rehabilitating cognition. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of SRT with errorless learning (EL) in the rehabilitation of patients with dementia. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-nine participants with vascular dementia (VD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) participated in the present study. The Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease (CERAD-K) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) were performed to assess the changes in the neuropsychological performance and the independent activities of daily living after SRT with EL. All tests were administered both before and after SRT with EL. Each SRT with EL intervention was performed for 30 minutes per day for 5 weeks. SPSS for Windows version 18.0 was used for statistical analysis. [Results] All items of the CERAD-K score of the VD group except for constructional praxis increased significantly after the SRT with EL intervention, but no significant differences from the AD group were found. The Korean version of the geriatric depression scale (GDS-K) of the VD group increased significantly after the SRT with EL intervention. The mean MBI scores of each group showed no significant difference after the intervention. [Conclusion] SRT with EL is an effective intervention for memory training of patients with dementia. Future research using sufficient sample sizes will be needed to obtain strong evidence for comparing not only the before and after intervention data but also between the groups.