The benefits of groups that provide cognitive stimulation for people with dementia.

Government policy (Department of Health 2009) recommends early diagnosis, intervention, support and care for people with dementia and their carers. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2006) emphasises the need for a non-pharmacological, structured, group cognitive stimulation intervention for people with mild to moderate dementia. Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is one such intervention. This article describes the development of 'Cogs clubs', a non-pharmacological intervention based on CST, from their inception to the present day. Initial evaluation found that the clubs met government policy and clinical guideline recommendations while being an acceptable intervention for facilitators, individuals and their carers.