Brain+ A/S ("Brain+"), in collaboration with Professor Rikke Gregersen from VIA University College in Aarhus, Denmark, has initiated a usability study to evaluate the new version of its digital Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) product, CST-Therapist Companion. Rikke Gregersen is the leading CST expert in Denmark and co-author of the Danish CST manual, while VIA University College is one of two institutions in Denmark certified to train new CST therapists. CST-Therapist Companion has been developed by Brain+ to support cost-effective delivery of CST to people with mild to moderate dementia.

CST is an evidence based non-pharmacological intervention which results in benefits in cognitive function and quality of life for people with mild to moderate dementia. CST is gaining recognition worldwide, and adoption of the therapy is growing, including in Denmark. The therapy is delivered in twice weekly sessions over a 7-week period to groups of 5-8 people with dementia and includes structured activities and exercises that stimulate new thinking and associations. 

The value offerings of CST-Therapist Companion include cost-effective delivery of CST through time saved in preparation of sessions, high-quality content tailored to different group needs (such as age or level of cognitive deficit) for better patient engagement, and an easy-to-use structured way for therapists to deliver sessions based on CST to ensure improved outcomes. A version 1.0 of CST-Therapist Companion was first made commercially available in Denmark in November 2022, and since then, Brain+ has been working intensely on an upgrade of the product based on user feedback and market data to optimize its fit to user workflow and support quality of delivery.

Usability study design

The usability study of CST-Therapist Companion will be conducted at care centers in 5 Danish municipalities, including Skanderborg, Fredericia, Silkeborg, Billund and Vejle. Each center will run a full 14-session CST treatment (once or twice a week) to a group of patients with mild to moderate dementia, using CST-Therapist Companion as a tool to support session preparation and delivery. CST therapists participate in one interview after the delivery of the first session, providing detailed feedback on the usability of the product upon their first use. This is then followed by questionnaires that are completed after each session, that relate to the technical aspects as well as appropriateness of the content presented in CST-Therapist Companion for every single session.

The study is expected to conclude by mid-December, upon which all participating CST facilitators will complete a comprehensive post-study questionnaire focusing on various aspects of product usability, implementation, and overall content quality.

Combining CST-Therapist Companion training into CST education

Prior to the study, participating dementia coordinators from the five municipalities were offered CST education at VIA, and for the first time as a pilot project, the education also included training in the CST-Therapist Companion facilitated by members from Brain+. This is an important first milestone in a strategic goal of getting CST-Therapist Companion training integrated into CST education. In early 2024, a similar approach is in preparation to be tried in Germany together with the leading German CST experts and educators.

Next steps

A network meeting will take place in mid-January with all participating parties from the usability study to gather and conclude on the learnings from the study. The data will provide valuable insights into user preferences and fit to workflow, informing the development of CST-Therapist Companion v2.0 (expected finalized mid-Q2 2024).

Contact Information

CEO and Co-founder: Kim Baden-Kristensen, + 4531393317 (SMS), kim@brain-plus.com

Mission: Bringing effective digitally-delivered dementia therapies to those in need, serving a million people with dementia, care-givers and clinicians by 2030

About VIA University College

VIA is one of Denmark's six university colleges. The college's programmes, courses and research focus on professional practice in areas such as healthcare, teaching, social education, technology, business and design. VIA is one of two centers in Denmark, certified to educated in the CST method.

About Cognitive Stimulation Therapy

CST is an evidence-based therapy for people with mild to moderate dementia. The method was developed by leading dementia researchers in the UK in the 1990s, and CST is today an internationally recognized method for treating dementia and is seeing adoption in 38 countries and growing.

CST is a psychosocial non-pharmacological intervention that involves a range of activities aiming to stimulate thinking and memory, and creating new associations, within an interactive, social and talk-based environment for people with mid to moderate dementia. The activities are versatile and are completed in a positive and suitably challenging learning environment. They are designed to engage various cognitive functions simultaneously and as a result, stimulate brain networks and regions these processes rely on, enhancing cognition through behavioral intervention. Various sections of a CST session are based on elements from other interventions such as validation and reminiscence, reality orientation or sensory stimulation and physical activity, and are combined with cognitive stimulation to ensure positive patient outcomes.