Social Prescribing in Nursing Home vs Community - Experience with Doll Therapy and Cognitive Games

Sep 29, 2026

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Doll therapy and tablet-based cognitive games were applied to older adults with dementia, contrasting use in nursing homes versus community in-home rehabilitation. Smart Care Lab versions were implemented in Hong Kong settings, with volunteers trained on-site and caregivers delivering therapies during daily care. Interviews, focus groups, and pre-post assessments evaluated efficacy and implementation factors. Findings showed context-dependent effects: doll therapy improved routines and reduced distress in nursing homes, while strengthening social interactions in the community.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Implementation Design

Training of volunteers and (in)formal caregivers

Assessment methods (interviews, focus groups, pre-post)

Context-Dependent Efficacy

Doll therapy outcomes

Cognitive game outcomes

Role of Link Worker

Case identification and intervention moderation

Comparative Insights Across Care Settings

760 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Doll therapy and tablet games are often used among older adults with dementia in nursing homes and in-home rehabilitation. While both therapies may enhance mood and social interactions, doll therapy often targets a cognitively frailer clientele than cognitive games on tablets. In Smart Care Lab 2.0 and 3.0, these therapies were used in Hong Kong nursing homes and in-home rehabilitation respectively. Volunteers were trained to facilitate implementation on-site, while (in)formal caregivers were tasked with dispensing these therapies in their daily care to maximize the desired outcomes. Individual interviews, focus groups, and pre-post intervention assessments were conducted to reveal their efficacy and factors affecting their implementation. Results show that efficacies differ by contexts. For doll therapy, their use in nursing homes primarily enhanced residents’ attachment to daily routines and reduced distress, yet their use in the community fostered social interactions. For cognitive games, their use in nursing homes were restricted by poor dexterity and mobility of the residents, yet their use in the community potentially bridged older adults with cognitive impairment to other technologies for their independent living. Echoing social prescribing, a professional ‘link worker’ is essential for identifying suitable cases, training volunteers and (in)formal caregivers for dispensing the therapy and moderating the intervention clients’changing capabilities. Through implementing the same therapies to clients in two contexts with similar volunteer training involved, this study provides a unique opportunity to compare the differences in implementation factors to inform the generalization of technologies and tools across care settings. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2583 SOCIAL PRESCRIBING IN NURSING HOME VS COM MUNITY: EXPERIENCE WITH DOLL THERAPY AND COGNITIVE GAMES Bobo Hi Po Lau1, Rebecca Yung-Choy2, and Cindy Wong2, 1. Hong Kong Shue Yan University, North Point, China (People’s Republic), 2. Golden Age Foundation, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

FAQs

How were doll therapy and cognitive games implemented in each care setting?

Doll therapy was used in Hong Kong nursing homes and cognitive games were used in in-home rehabilitation. Volunteers were trained on-site, while (in)formal caregivers dispensed the therapies during daily care.

What differences in efficacy did the study observe between the two contexts?

Doll therapy enhanced residents’ attachment to daily routines and reduced distress in nursing homes, but fostered social interactions in the community. Cognitive games were limited in nursing homes due to residents’ poor dexterity and mobility, yet in the community they may connect cognitively impaired older adults to other technologies for independent living.

Why is a professional link worker important in social prescribing for these therapies?

A link worker helps identify suitable cases, trains volunteers and (in)formal caregivers, and moderates the intervention as clients’ changing capabilities affect implementation.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Asher