Brain+ informs that a successful introductory course on Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for dementia has been held for Malteser Germany by CST expert and co-author of the German CST manual, Ms. Barbara Schaubs, M.Sc. in Psychology from Potsdam. In the course, 18 Malteser participants from different regions of Germany were provided with knowledge about the specific key principles of CST and trained in how to implement the therapy in their dementia care units including how to use the German v1.0 of Brain+’ CST-Assistant to support the implementation and delivery.

In a press article on the outcome of the course, Malteser states:

“The software-based CST-Assistant offers numerous advantages when accompanying people with dementia. Thanks to an easily accessible structure and predetermined topics, it enables an easy start with little preparation effort. This gives the CST companions more time and supports them with a consistent meeting structure and a structured discussion tool.”

See the full German article behind this link: Erfolgreicher Einführungskurs zur Kognitiven Simulationstherapie (KST) bei den Maltesern in Münster (malteser-muenster.de)

The CST training program met with great interest among the participants, so that CST is now being used at various Maltese locations with outpatient dementia work. Brain+ has agreed to provide Maltesers with free access to the CST-Assistant v1.0 for a test phase to support the implementation of CST against access to results and evaluation feedback from users to further optimize the product.

For optimal results, regular exchanges take place with all cooperation partners involved. The joint goal is to improve support for people with dementia in Germany via innovative therapeutic approaches.

Background for the CST-Assistant supported CST education of Malteser participants

Brain+ and Malteser Germany started a collaboration to help people with dementia in Germany in April 2023. Following a 2-months pilot use of the CST-Assistant v1.0 in one of Malteser’s dementia care units, the value of the product was acknowledged. It was recognized also that a basic CST education of Malteser dementia coordinators would be a prerequisite for optimal and broader use of the CST-Assistant to support the organization’s offering of CST to help people with dementia.  This led to an agreement with Dr. Barbara Schaubs, with whom Brain+ has also been collaborating in the development of the German CST-Assistant, to provide the training partly based on the CST-Assistant.

In Germany, Brain+ cooperates closely also with German dementia expert Professor Katja Werheid from the University of Bielefeld, co-author of the German CST manual. Both she and Barbara Schaubs provide scientific CST support and advisory to the development and implementation of the CST-Assistant.

Brain+’ strategic approach to the German market

In February 2024, Brain+ informed that the company would refocus the majority its resources on the UK. The reason was a faster route to revenue and return-on-investment in this market for the company’s products due to the UK’s high readiness level for health tech solutions and a solid adoption of CST in dementia management.

Brain+’ activities in Germany were confined to existing collaborations with a particular focus on the integration of the CST-Assistant into the German CST education as an important means to help accelerate the adoption of CST in the country and build a long-term competitive position for Brain+ and the CST Assistant.

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About Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST)

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) is an evidence-based therapy for people with mild to moderate dementia. The therapy was developed by Professor Aimee Spector from University College of London (UCL) and is the only non-medical therapy endorsed by UK government guidelines (NICE recommendation) for the cognitive symptoms of dementia. Group CST treatment involves 14 or more sessions of themed activities, which are led by one or two trained CST therapist and typically run twice weekly. The aims of sessions are to actively stimulate and engage people with dementia, whilst providing an optimal learning environment building on the social benefits of a group.

CST has been recommended by the World Alzheimer's Association and the therapy is gaining recognition worldwide with currently around 40 countries implementing it.

About Malteser Germany

Malteser Germany, or Malteser Hilfsdienst, is a charity organization under Malteser International (Malteser International | Health and Dignity for People in Need (malteser-international.org)), and one of Germany’s major health service providers with over 1 million members and sponsors. One of the organization’s key goals is to improve the offering of care services to people with dementia and their caregivers.

For more information about Brain+, please contact:

Kim Baden-Kristensen, CEO
Phone: +45 31 39 33 17
E-mail: kim@brain-plus.com 

www.brain-plus.com