The study protocol of a cluster-randomised controlled trial of family-mediated personalised activities for nursing home residents with dementia

We will conduct a cluster-randomised trial to train family carers in conducting personalised one-to-one activities based on the Montessori methodology with their relatives. Montessori activities derive from the principles espoused by Maria Montessori and subsequent educational theorists to promote engagement in learning, namely task breakdown, guided repetition, progression in difficulty from simple to complex, and the careful matching of demands to levels of competence. Persons with dementia living in aged care facilities and frequently visiting family carers will be included in the study. Consented, willing participants will be randomly assigned by facility to a treatment condition using the Montessori approach or a control waiting list condition. We hypothesise that family carers conducting Montessori-based activities will experience improvements in quality of visits and overall relationship with the resident as well as higher self-rated mastery, fewer depressive symptoms, and a better quality of life than carers in the waiting list condition.We hypothesise that training family carers to deliver personalised activities to their relatives in a residential setting will make visits more satisfying and may consequently improve the quality of life for carers and their relatives. These beneficial effects might also reduce nursing staff burden and thus impact positively on residential facilities.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry - ACTRN12611000998943Both people with dementia and their family carers may suffer from the consequences of dementia such as confusion, disorientation and reduced language fluency. As a result, people with dementia may experience increasing difficulty in communicating their needs to family and professional caregivers for physical comfort, social engagement and meaningful activity. According to the unmet needs theory [1], the resulting distress contributes to the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The psycholo