MCST and Reminder Finder
Find out how Vernon, Doug and Ian found friendship through an Age UK group.
Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST)
We are supporting the wellbeing and mental stimulation of people living with dementia through group programmes.
What's MCST?
Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST) is a weekly one- to two-hour-long programme for people living with mild to moderate dementia.
Group members take part in meaningful and stimulating activities, proven to help maintain memory and mental functioning. The groups provide a fun, supportive environment where people can build new friendships.
Activities include:
- discussions
- word games
- quizzes
- physical activities
- creative and musical activities.
Some things, like crosswords, can be difficult to tackle on your own but together you feel you can do it.
Why is MCST so important?
After someone is diagnosed with dementia, they may be offered Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). This is a short-term programme for people with mild to moderate dementia and usually runs twice weekly for seven weeks following diagnosis.
However once this programme finishes, there’s limited provision of services for people with mild to moderate dementia. MCST is a longer-term programme based in community settings which helps to fill this gap.
Cognitive Stimulation is the only non-drug treatment recommended to improve cognition, independence and well-being by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
"Enabling people to have fun"
Dr. Aimee Spector, Clinical Psychologist at UCL, discusses the benefits of MCST.
What’s its impact so far?
The 2017/18 pilot found that MCST sessions contributed to the maintenance of group members’ wellbeing, related to their feelings, memory and everyday life. These would usually be expected to decrease over time for people with dementia who don’t attend sessions.
Group members, carers and staff all stated the following benefits:
- Enjoyment, having fun and increasing levels of happiness.
- A sense of belonging and making new friendships.
- Increased confidence in ability and to try other new things.
- Improvements in communication, including reading and writing.
- Improvements in memory and mental ability.
- Having more energy.
- Increased levels of physical activity.
Evaluation report
Our report evaluates the pilot so far with the aim of providing more services across the country.
I can see the difference in him from when I drop him to when I pick him up again – he’s so much happier and chatty.
Where is the programme running?
With thanks to generous funding from the Association of British Insurers' 'COVID-19 Support Fund,' we're delighted to be able to build on the success of previous MCST pilots and set up a further 90 groups across the Age UK network - including virtual MCST groups for the first time.
Delivery will be phased over three groups of Age UKs, each last 12 months. The partner taking part in the first groups can be found below.
Age UKs delivering MCST programmes
- Age Cymru Dyfed
- Age UK Berkshire
- Age UK Birmingham & Sandwell
- Age UK Bristol
- Age UK Calderdale and Kirklees
- Age UK County Durham
- Age UK Coventry & Warwickshire
- Age UK Doncaster
- Age UK East London
- Age UK Enfield
- Age UK Gateshead
- Age UK Hythe and Lyminge
- Age UK Lancashire
- Age UK Lincoln & South Lincolnshire
- Age UK Medway
- Age UK Milton Keynes
- Age UK North, South and West Dorset
- Age UK North Yorkshire & Darlington
- Age UK Northumberland
- Age UK Plymouth
- Age UK Salford
- Age UK Somerset
- Age UK South Gloucestershire
- Age UK Sunderland
- Age UK Tameside
- Age UK West Sussex, Brighton and Hove
- Age UK Worcester & Malvern Hills
For further details, contact dementiamcst@ageuk.org.uk