Spaced-Retrieval Training for Persons with Dementia: Maintenance and generalization

The purpose of this study was to investigate the maintenance and generalization of Spaced-Retrieval Training (SRT) for persons with mild-moderate dementia dementia. SRT capitalizes on preserved cognitive abilities to (re)teach new and/or forgotten information or skills through errorless learning and gradually increasing time intervals. Three participants were trained to read nametags of staff caregivers. A single-subject multiple baseline across participants design was utilized to investigate generalization to natural contexts, as well as maintenance of the learned strategy. Goal attainment was achieved for 2 participants; post-training generalization and 4-week maintenance was achieved for 1 participant. Clinical implications will be discussed