The Effect of Community-based Group Activities on Psychological Well-Being in People Living With Dementia: A Systematic Review

Approximately two-thirds of people living with dementia live in community settings. Community-based group activities can play an important role in postdiagnostic support and have a range of benefits for people living with dementia. Less is known about the effect these activities can have on psychological well-being. This paper aimed to synthesize evidence regarding the effects of different community-based group activities on psychological well-being in people living with dementia. Systematic review. Studies that included participants living with dementia in community settings. Literature searches were conducted in CINAHL Plus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. Studies were included if they reported on at least 1 community-based group activity for people living with dementia and 1 psychological well-being outcome measure. Findings were reported in the form of a narrative synthesis. In total, 18 studies were included. Activity types included visual arts (n = 6), singing (n = 5), object handling (n = 3), dance (n = 3), multicomponent arts activities (n = 2), reminiscence (n = 2), and gardening (n = 1). Findings suggest a positive trend in improvements in well-being across most activities, although there was some mixed evidence for the role of arts-based activities. There was limited evidence for a difference in the impact on well-being between activity types. There was generally promising evidence for the effect of community-based group activities on psychological well-being in people living with dementia. However, given the limited research in this area, more high-quality research is needed to better understand which activities may be more effective and who they are working for.