Non-pharmacological interventions, such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, tai chi and breathing practices, have shown promise in helping to reduce some mental health symptoms of patients living with cognitive decline or dementia, but it has been unclear which types work best, for whom and under what conditions.
Researchers who undertook a scoping review of literature found that such strategies as keeping sessions under an hour, recruiting family or staff to reinforce program participation, having flexible scheduling and clear routines, as well as holding group sessions, can be particularly helpful.
“Many older adults living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia also experience increased rates of mental health symptoms linked to depression, anxiety, loneliness and stress,” said Isabel Sadowski, a PhD candidate in Counselling Psychology at McGill University and lead author of the paper.
“Many studies reported improvements in depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life, though findings were mixed overall,” said Sadowski, summarizing the review’s key findings. “Better outcomes were more often seen when programs were shorter, simpler and cognitively less demanding, and when caregivers and technological reminders were involved.”
The research team, composed of collaborators from the McGill Mindfulness Research Lab led by Professor Bassam Khoury , the Université de Montréal and Université de Sherbrooke, undertook a scoping review to provide clinicians with clearer guidelines on these non-pharmacological therapies, known as mind-body interventions.
Following established guidelines, the team screened five databases and analyzed 98 studies from around the world.
They then organized the results into a visual map , which highlights different types of interventions, adaptations made for dementia patients and other aspects of the review, such as implementation barriers and facilitators.
The next phase of the research, informed by the review findings, will focus on the real-world development and testing of technology-based mind-body interventions for older adults living in long-term care homes.
This phase will be a collaboration among researchers from Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, the University of British Columbia and the Chaudière-Appalaches and Capitale-Nationale health authorities.
“Mind-body interventions to promote the mental health of older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia: a scoping review and logic model,” by Isabel Sadowski (McGill University), Kabisan Vilvaratnam (Université de Montréal), Martine Bordeleau (Université de Sherbrooke), Mael Gagnon-Mailhot (Université de Montréal), Marianne Meilleur-Bédard (McGill University), Soham Rej (McGill University) and Bassam Khoury (McGill University), was published in Aging and Mental Health .
This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSRHC).
Aging & Mental Health
Literature review
People
Mind-body interventions to promote the mental health of older adults with cognitive impairment and dementia: a scoping review and logic model
22-Jan-2026