Celebrating the success of our first Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy programme

Age UK Wandsworth is happy to report the success of our first Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy programme (MCST) and we are now seeking funding for a new programme. 

What is MCST?

Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (MCST) is a programme of themed activities designed to treat the symptoms of dementia through mental stimulation, social interaction and creativity. It is currently the only non-drug treatment recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to improve a person with dementia's cognition, independence, and overall wellbeing. 

MCST is a longer-term version of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), which is usually offered to people after their diagnosis of dementia. CST programmes usually only run for a period of around 7 weeks, leaving clients and their unpaid carers with limited treatment options for the future, despite it being common to have a diagnosis of dementia which is considered ‘mild to moderate’ for many years. MCST aims to bridge this gap, and to continue the progress made in the CST sessions to ultimately slow a diagnosed client’s cognitive decline.

A first for Wandsworth!

Although St George’s Hospital runs a CST programme, there has been no MCST programme for Wandsworth residents - until now! This pilot programme introduced by Age UK Wandsworth in 2023 has been welcomed by professionals and local residents alike and has filled a huge gap for those with mild to moderate dementia and their unpaid carers. 

What did the sessions involve?

Age UK Wandsworth was awarded funding to run two MCST groups, each over a 6-month period. Sessions were held weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays, with participants affectionately nicknaming their respective groups "The Wailers" and "The Knowledgeables", due to their commonly shared interests. 

"The Wailers" met every Tuesday and "The Knowledgeables" met every Friday. As the service evolved, the Tuesday group responded better to music, and creative activities like singing and dancing, whilst the Friday group preferred talking about history and current affairs.

Sessions were led by three members of staff and one volunteer, who collectively have accrued over 100 hours of specialist MCST training before and during the programme.  The sessions were lively and fun; each having a theme, such as 'Famous Artists', 'Around the Globe', and 'My Life History', which determined the activities, tasks and discussions for the day. Clients reported their favourite activities were the potting of bulbs and watching them grow over the weeks; reminiscing on past times; playing games; mild exercise; and history studies. Anything presented as a “game” seemed to motivate the groups further and helped them build and develop friendships.

Positive Outcomes

We are thrilled with the progress our clients have made over the course of our initial MCST pilot programmes. Clients reported an increase in overall happiness and sense of belonging or connectedness; increased confidence in their abilities and willingness to try new things; improvements in speaking, reading and writing skills; increased physical energy leading to increased physical activity; and improvements in memory and mental agility.

The following is an excerpt from an email we received from the daughter of ‘Mr W’; a 76-year old ex-accountant diagnosed with mixed dementia who attended our Tuesday group “The Wailers”:

“I've heard nothing but fantastic feedback from Dad about the programme and I’m so grateful for it. The things that stand out for me are:

- The socialising aspect where Dad is accepted for how he shows up and is celebrated for what he contributes.

- The improvement in memory retention where Dad, with thought, can share parts of the day’s activities and what he had for lunch.

- The joy Dad associates with the programme when I ask him about it and his pleasure when remembering it's Tuesday – ‘Forgetful Club’ Day!

- The safety Dad feels with the carers who work with him on the programme.

Thank you so much for the work you're creating and doing for Dad.”

Further evidence of the programme’s value is a letter we received from the wife of ‘Mr J’ – a retired police officer diagnosed with mixed and atypical dementia who attended our Friday group “The Knowledgeables”:

“Having somewhere to go at a regular time with good company is something he looks forward to - almost like he’s going to work and having a camaraderie with colleagues. This familiarity is important, he may not always remember a name but other group members, including one he knew from the CST group, and the staff who run the sessions are all important to him.

It may sound a bit selfish, but it is also good for me as his carer to see him engaging with other people. Everyone at the Day Centre is so nice and friendly and they make everyone feel so NORMAL.  This is particularly important to me because dementia is a disease that even close friends find hard to deal with, and sometimes keep away from us (accepting of course that they are also elderly and a little scared of the word).”

What next?

Age UK Wandsworth would love to continue running this service for our residents with dementia, and even expand it to offer support to their unpaid carers; some of whom have needed as much support as the dementia sufferers themselves and who report they have no one to talk to.

The progress these residents have made is clear to see in our observations, in their testimonials, and in the feedback from their unpaid carers. However, our existing funding has now come to an end, and we are currently seeking new funding so that we can continue to provide this valuable and much-needed service for our residents.

If you would like to know more about our MCST programme, or are interested in funding, please contact Frank on daycentre@ageukwandsworth.org or 020 8812 3645.