Adapting Cognitive Stimulation Therapy: A one-year evaluation of a CST-informed group within a dementia inpatient ward.
Parallel 6
18 November, 2026 3:30 – 4:40 pmFrom Crisis to Connection: Evolving Dementia in Care Mental Health Settings
Adele Olphert (Co-facilitator)
I am an Assistant Psychologist working across two inpatient settings in Liverpool and Southport, supporting older adults. I have a strong interest in delivering person-centred care that considers all aspects of an individual’s life and experiences. My work is guided by a trauma-informed approach, and I aim to recognise each person who I work with as the expert of their own experiences, ensuring their voice is central to the care they receive.
Luke Doherty (Co-facilitator)
I originally moved from Ireland to Liverpool for university. After graduating from the university of Liverpool, I gained my first NHS employment as an Assistant Psychologist within the First Response Service, where I worked for two years before moving across to the Older Adult Psychology team in 2025, were I now work a split post across the community team and inpatient ward.
Summary
CST is a non-pharmacological psychosocial intervention that aims to enhance the overall well-being and quality of life for individuals living with mild to moderate dementia (Desai et al., 2024). Person-centred care is fundamental to engagement for CST, requiring consideration of all aspects of an individual, including their personal history, values, interests, cognitive abilities, emotional needs, and social context, to ensure meaningful and tailored participation. Thus, we aimed to implement CST within an inpatient setting and garner feedback each week from service users to adapt the facilitator guide and ensure the group is holistic and person centred. Within this presentation we aim to describe the effectiveness of CST within an inpatient ward for people living with dementia and provide an overview of the feedback and adaptations made whilst running CST for the past year.




