Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) can create powerful moments of connection, conversation and recall. The real challenge is making it easy to use consistently in everyday aged care.

Resparke worked with neuroscience research expertise from the University of Michigan, aged care and dementia specialists, and our aged care partners to develop a series of structured, CST-informed activities that everyday care teams can deliver with minimal preparation. This work was presented at ARTA National Conference 2026 as From Evidence to Engagement: A CST-informed digital activity program for aged care.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy encourages thinking, conversation, recall and social interaction. In residential aged care, though, training needs, preparation time and reliance on specialist staff make consistent delivery hard. Resparke set out to make CST principles easier for more people to deliver. It doesn't replace specialist practice or human connection; it extends therapeutic engagement into everyday settings.

Each activity is built around reminiscence, cognitive activation, social interaction and sensory stimulation, and guides the facilitator through the session rather than asking staff to build one themselves. Topics are familiar ones: childhood, work, everyday experiences and culturally diverse themes.

Developed with Resparke's product, dementia care and neuroscience teams and refined through pilot testing, the program was trialled across 24 aged care sites, including Whiddon. Highly engaged residents rose from 8% before the session to 83% during it and 92% by the end, while low engagement dropped from 33% to 0%.

Try one of our Reminiscing Activities for free with your residents.

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