In patients with dementia, poor nutrition or decreased food intake may cause symptoms of depression. Investigators including Li-Chan Lin, RN, PhD, of the National Yang-Ming University, in Taipei, Taiwan, tested the effectiveness of a combination of methods to train patients with dementia to remember proper eating habits. The intervention incorporated a method called spaced retrieval - a kind of memory training that requires an individual to recall a piece of information at increasing time intervals - and Montessori-based activities, through which structured activities related to daily life are sequentially and repetitively practiced.