Maintenance effects of short-period intensive creative expressive arts-based program (SPI-CrEAS) on cognitive function older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A pilot study

To assess the maintenance effectiveness of a short-period intensive creative expressive arts-based storytelling (SPI-CrEAS) program in older patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). This two-arm, single-blinded, pilot, randomized controlled trial was conducted at XXX and included 38 participants who had previously completed a 24-week CrEAS project. Eligible participants were randomly assigned to receive intensive CrEAS program twice weekly for an additional 12 weeks (short-period intensive [SPI]-CrEAS) or complete their daily activities (control group). Linear mixed-model regression was used to analyze baseline and intra-group and inter-group comparisons at different follow-up periods. At the 12-week follow-up, verbal function (Verbal Fluency Test, P=0.021) improved significantly in the SPI-CrEAS group compared with the control group. The cognitive benefits of SPI-CrEAS were sustained with twice-weekly training for 3 months, lasting for up to 9 months. The initial cognitive improvement following CrEAS was sustained at follow-up and boosted by SPI-CrEAS.