At the University of Maryland School of Nursing (UMSON), N. Jennifer Klinedinst, PhD, MPH, RN, FAHA, associate professor, is addressing apathy, a common and serious challenge for people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.
“Apathy in people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias is the reduction of goal-directed activity and lack of motivation to engage with the world around them,” said Klinedinst, co-director of UMSON’s Building Healthy Behaviors Across the Life Span organized research center.
When individuals withdraw and stop participating in daily life, the consequences can be significant. As Klinedinst explained, “When people become apathetic, they stop engaging, and when they stop engaging, they tend to sit and literally do nothing. When that happens, they become extremely sedentary.”
Sedentary behavior is linked to cardiovascular disease, loss of function, worsening cognitive decline, poor quality of life, and increased mortality. Yet there is currently no medical cure for apathy in dementia.
To address this gap, Klinedinst and her team developed the Volunteering in Place (VIP) program, a personalized intervention designed specifically for residents with mild to moderate dementia living in assisted living communities.
Rather than offering generic activities, the VIP program helps residents engage in meaningful, on-site volunteer roles based on their lifelong interests and current physical and cognitive abilities. Participants in the pilot program took on roles such as watering plants, setting tables, or reading to another resident with vision problems. Over time, the impact of such work was striking: After several months, residents who once needed prompting began seeking out activities independently.
In a new video Q&A, Klinedinst shares more about how the VIP program can improve quality of life for people living with dementia — proving that even small acts of purpose can make a profound difference.
