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Our Approach

The Connect Method®

Evidence-based, practical guidance to support living well with dementia

Why I created Connect at Home

​​​From Research to Real Life

When Running CST Groups, Families Kept Asking

 

​"How can we create this connection at home?"

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They would often ask me what "magic" I was doing in the room, as they watched their loved one become more engaged, more confident, more connected, and wanted to know how to bring this home.

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So using an evidence-based framework designed to support cognitive health, function, mood and family connection, I created the Connect at Home™ Cognitive Stimulation Program.

"No one explained things the way you did.

Everything finally made sense." 

happy couple connecting through cognitive stimulation therapy through Dementia Connected

The Heart of Our Approach is Connection

With Family and Friends

With Self and Abilities

With Healthcare Staff

Neural Connections in the Brain

​The Connect Method® is a framework developed by Amanda Burnby, combining Cognitive Stimulation Therapy, neuro-rehabilitation principles, , and more than 25 years of experience.

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Amanda explains everything in simple language, using real world scenarios to provide clear, practical guidance.​

Cognitive Stimulation

Neurorehabilitation Principles

Relationship-Centred Approaches

Research Shows:

The brain can still learn, adapt, and respond, even when dementia becomes a part of life.¹​

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy supports thinking, communication, and quality of life.²

How we engage with a person can influence confidence, connection and wellbeing.³

Research behind the Connect Method

The Evidence Behind The Connect Method®

International research supports Cognitive Stimulation Therapy as an effective, evidence-based approach for people living with mild to moderate dementia.¹

CST is designed to support thinking skills commonly affected by dementia, including communication, attention, memory and problem solving.¹˒³˒⁴

Neurorehabilitation is based on neuroplasticity—the brain's ability to learn, adapt and respond through meaningful activity. ²˒⁶

Research has demonstrated benefits of cognitive stimulation across cognition, communication, social interaction and quality of life.¹˒⁵˒⁶

Home-based CST can support family confidence, wellbeing and enjoyable shared experiences at home.⁴

References

 

  1. Desai, R., Leung, W. G., Fearn, C., John, A., Stott, J., & Spector, A. (2024). Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for mild to moderate dementia: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials using the original CST protocol. Ageing Research Reviews, 97, 102312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2024.102312

  2. Thoft, D. S., Grarup, B., & Mortensen, A. (2025). A scoping review of the effect and experience of participating in dementia rehabilitation when living with early stage dementia. Western Journal of Nursing Research. (Add volume, issue and page numbers if available in your article.)

  3. Paggetti, A., Druda, Y., Sciancalepore, F., Della Gatta, F., Ancidoni, A., Locuratolo, N., Piscopo, P., Vignatelli, L., Sagliocca, L., Guaita, A., Secreto, P., Stracciari, A., Caffarra, P., Vanacore, N., Fabrizi, E., Lacorte, E., … Porrello, M. C. (2025). The efficacy of cognitive stimulation, cognitive training, and cognitive rehabilitation for people living with dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. GeroScience, 47(1), 409–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01400-z

  4. Jiménez-Palomares, M., Montero-Barrero, O., Garrido-Ardila, E. M., Gibello-Rufo, A., González-Sánchez, B., & Rodríguez-Mansilla, J. (2025). Cognitive stimulation in older adults with dementia: A systematic review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(20), 7225. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14207225

  5. Kitwood, T. (1997). Dementia reconsidered: The person comes first. Open University Press.

  6. Puderbaugh, M., & Emmady, P. D. (2023). Neuroplasticity. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557811/

  7. Stern, Y. (2012). Cognitive reserve in ageing and Alzheimer's disease. The Lancet Neurology, 11(11), 1006–1012. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70191-6

​Reference List:

​.​

  1. Desai, R., Leung, W. G., Fearn, C., John, A., Stott, J., & Spector, A. (2024). Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) for mild to moderate dementia: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of randomised control trials using the original CST protocol. Ageing research reviews, 97, 102312. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arr.2024.102312​

  2. Puderbaugh, M., & Emmady, P. D. (2026). Neuroplasticity. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing. Retrieved June 19, 2026, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557811/

  3. Kitwood, T. (1997). Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First. Open University Press.

  4. Thoft, D. S., Grarup, B., & Mortensen, A. (2025). A scoping review of the effect and experience of participating in dementia rehabilitation when living with early stage dementia. Western Journal of Nursing Research

  5. Paggetti, A., Druda, Y., Sciancalepore, F., Della Gatta, F., Ancidoni, A., Locuratolo, N., Piscopo, P., Vignatelli, L., Sagliocca, L., Guaita, A., Secreto, P., Stracciari, A., Caffarra, P., Vanacore, N., Fabrizi, E., Lacorte, E., Caffarra, P., Guaita, A., Secreto, P., … Porrello, M. C. (2025). The efficacy of cognitive stimulation, cognitive training, and cognitive rehabilitation for people living with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. GeroScience: Official Journal of the American Aging Association (AGE), 47(1), 409–444. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-024-01400-z

  6. Jiménez-Palomares, M., Montero-Barrero, O., Garrido-Ardila, E. M., Gibello-Rufo, A., González-Sánchez, B., & Rodríguez-Mansilla, J. (2025). Cognitive Stimulation in Older Adults with Dementia: A Systematic Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 14(20), 7225. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14207225

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