Among patients with Alzheimer's disease, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as Aricept are a common form of intervention in preventing cognitive decline. Cognitive therapy is another common form of intervention used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It has been found in previous studies that cognitive training and intervention can be just as beneficial as pharmacological drugs. The attention now is focused on whether or not a combination of pharmacological drugs and cognitive therapy can produce even greater gains than prescription drugs alone for this patient population. Through this critical appraisal, results indicate that the use of a combination for intervention with cognitive stimulation therapy and acetylcholinesterase inhibitors is most effective in prolonging overall cognitive function for patients in the mild stage of Alzheimer's disease in the first year. More specifically, the results between the 2 types of cognitive stimulation therapy in the present study further suggest that a focused discussion group therapy was more beneficial in overall cognitive skills than cognitive training.