Year: 2026 | Month: July-September | Volume: 11 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 160-170
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijshr.20260319
Effectiveness of the Tailored Activity Program on Basic Activities of Daily Living Among People living with Dementia and Its Impact on Caregiver Burden
Monisha Popali1, Rajul Daftary2
1MOTh-Neuroscience, 2Former Assistant Professor,
Department of Occupational Therapy, OT School & Centre, Seth G. S. Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai, India.
Corresponding Author: Monisha Popali
ABSTRACT
Background: Dementia is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by declining functional independence and increasing caregiver burden. Although the Tailored Activity Program (TAP) has shown promising benefits in improving daily functioning through individualized, occupation-based interventions, evidence regarding its applicability within the Indian healthcare setting remains limited.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Tailored Activity Program in improving basic activities of daily living (BADLs) among people living with mild to moderate dementia and reducing caregiver burden.
Methods: A prospective single-group pre–post interventional study was conducted in the Occupational Therapy Department of a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India. Nineteen people living with mild to moderate dementia and their primary caregivers completed a six-week Tailored Activity Program consisting of 12 individualized sessions incorporating meaningful activity prescription, caregiver education, activity simplification, environmental modification, and structured home-based practice. Functional independence, cognitive function, and caregiver burden were assessed before and after the intervention using the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale (BADLS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), respectively. Paired t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis, with p <0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean age of participants was 62.11 ± 7.00 years, and 63.2% were male. Following the intervention, significant improvements were observed in functional independence, with BADLS total scores decreasing from 58.44 ± 9.65 to 53.09 ± 11.56 (p < 0.001) and BADLS self-care domain scores decreasing from 8.53 ± 2.25 to 6.47 ± 2.76 (p < 0.001). Caregiver burden also decreased significantly, with ZBI scores improving from 41.21 ± 7.43 to 38.42 ± 8.98 (p < 0.001). No statistically significant change was observed in cognitive function as measured by the MoCA (median [IQR]: 8 [7–10] vs. 7 [7–10]; p = 0.157).
Conclusions: The findings suggest that the Tailored Activity Program may improve functional independence and reduce caregiver burden among people living with mild to moderate dementia without producing measurable changes in global cognitive function over six weeks. Larger controlled studies with longer follow-up are warranted to confirm these preliminary findings and establish the long-term effectiveness of TAP within the Indian healthcare context.
Keywords: Dementia; Activities of Daily Living; Tailored Activity Program; Occupational Therapy; Caregivers; Caregiver burden; Rehabilitation; Patient-Centered Care.