Using simulated presence therapy with people with dementia.

Simulated Presence Therapy (SPT) is a relatively new intervention, which has been reported to reduce levels of anxiety and challenging behaviour amongst people with dementia. The intervention consists of playing a tape of their carer's voice to a person with dementia over a personal stereo. This study provides details of the effectiveness of SPT with four in-patients on an assessment ward. The four showed differing levels of response to the SPT tapes. It is suggested that the differing response of participants may be related to their differing attachment styles.