The International Cognitive Stimulation Therapy centre at the University College of London (UCL) has South Africa listed as one of its countries that form part of the international CST group and reported to be used in the country by speech-language pathologists in the Johannesburg area with regards to adult neuro-rehabilitation. It is unclear from the desk review to what extent these services are available to persons living with dementia; however, specialised services in general are usually skewed/restricted to the private sector (and accessible to those who can afford private health-and specialist care). No research studies were found to date that provide an evaluation of CST as an intervention for South Africa specifically.

Other non-pharmacological approaches used in South Africa relate to the support and monitoring of the well-being of carers. The NGO-sector plays a critical role in training carers on how to care for persons living with dementia, also providing or linking to community-based respite care and home-care where possible (Emsley & Seedat, 2013).

References:

Emsley, R., & Seedat, S. (2013). The South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP) treatment guidlelines for psychiatric disorders. South African Journal of Psychiatry, 19(3), 127–196. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v19i3.942