St. Camillus Residential Health Care Facility

Use of Spaced Retrieval Technique to Improve Functional Capacity of Persons with Dementia

This project, focused on the efficacy of Spaced Retrieval technique (SR) in meeting the rehabilitation goals of persons diagnosed with dementia or Traumatic Brain Injury. To meet this objective, rehabilitation and direct care staff were trained to use SR at two sites, representing two distinct geographical locations-- Central New York and the Hudson Valley area. St. Camillus Health and Rehabilitation Center, Syracuse, New York represented the former and Teresian House Nursing Home Co., Inc. Albany, New York represented the latter.

Quantitative and qualitative data from a 15-month implementation period was compared with data from a 6-month baseline period to determine the therapeutic efficacy of SR. The results of the study were disseminated to nursing homes in New York State.

Goal: Determine whether more persons with dementia can successfully meet their rehabilitation goals and improve their function after the introduction of Spaced Retrieval.