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Effects of teaching resourcefulness skills to elders
- Authors:
- ZAUSZNIEWSKI J. A., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 10(4), July 2006, pp.404-412.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The objective of this study was to examine the effects of learned resourcefulness training (LRT) on health of elders in retirement communities (RCs). In a clinical trial, 46 elders in four randomly selected RCs received resourcefulness training and were compared to 43 elders in four RCs who participated in a focused reflection reminiscence (FRR) group. The two groups were similar at baseline. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed no changes on anxiety or depression over time; however, both were significantly correlated with functional status, self-assessed health, and resourcefulness. Although main effects for group were not significant, interaction effects of group and time on self-assessed health and functional status were found. These findings suggest that although teaching resourcefulness to groups of elders in RCs may have beneficial effects on improving their perception of health and functioning over time, significant effects on mental health may not be apparent.
Implications of an advice-giving and teacher role on language production in adults with dementia
- Authors:
- DIJKSTRA Katinka, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 46(3), June 2006, pp.357-366.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The two studies described in this paper assessed whether adults with dementia could assume an advice-giving role (Study 1) and a teacher role (Study 2) despite their cognitive impairments. In Study 1, a within-groups design was used in order to compare language production in advice-giving and social conversation conditions. In Study 2, a between-groups design was used in order to compare language production in older adults with and without dementia. Measures in Study 1 were the occurrence of imperatives, discourse-building components, and discourse deficits. Measures in Study 2 yielded information on teacher-role implementation, cooking-related discourse, general discourse, discourse deficits, and experimenter-related discourse. The results found role-consistent discourse components in Study 1 as indicated by the number of imperatives in the advice-giving condition. Additionally, discourse production showed a higher occurrence of discourse builders and a lower occurrence of discourse deficits in the advice-giving than in the social conversation condition. Findings in Study 2 indicated that both cognitively intact older adults and adults with dementia successfully taught students to prepare the recipes. However, the experimenter needed to prompt the adults with dementia more often than they did the older adults without dementia in order to get them to finish the cooking task. Both studies demonstrate that preserved discourse and role-related abilities in adults with dementia may allow these individuals to engage in interactions involving active, established social roles. This outcome may contribute to the establishment of effective practices in which adults with dementia can demonstrate preserved skills during activities and in social interactions with others.
Self-serving appraisal as a cognitive coping strategy to deal with age-related limitations: an empirical study with elderly adults in a real-life stressful situation
- Authors:
- DE RAEDT Rudi, PONJAERT-KRISTOFFERSEN I.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 10(2), March 2006, pp.195-203.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Elderly people are often confronted with stressful events that threaten psychological homeostasis. Nevertheless, the lack of a general age-related drop in life satisfaction remains intriguing. The objective of this study was to analyze the basic mechanisms of perceived control and self-protective processes. Eighty-four elderly adults who underwent a fitness-to-drive evaluation were asked how they appraised their performance in a driving simulation task and were classified as over-estimators versus people who estimated their performance correctly and people who didn’t overestimate their performance. Decreased physical resources were related to self-serving appraisal and less depressive feelings. The results are in line with theories on self-immunizing processes and provide support for the use of cognitive therapies in dealing with age-related limitations.
Cognitive support for elders through technology
- Authors:
- ROGERS Wendy A., FISK Arthur D.
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(2), Summer 2006, pp.38-43.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
Describe an innovative research programme at Georgia Institute of Technology in the United States, which focused on the development of 'aware home technology', that is cognitive interventions for older adults that support the maintenance of their health and well-being.
Mild cognitive impairment: a ‘hardening of the categories’?
- Authors:
- WHITEHOUSE Peter J., MOODY Harry R.
- Journal article citation:
- Dementia: the International Journal of Social Research and Practice, 5(1), February 2006, pp.11-25.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a controversial label for forms of age-related, intellectual difficulties unassociated with impairments in activities of daily living. The principal issue is whether this arbitrary, heterogeneous and unreliable term is appropriate to use clinically. Persons with the label MCI may progress to different types of dementia, stay stable, or even improve. In this article we offer a philosophical analysis of MCI from epistemological, ethical and semantic perspectives. The authors believe that the term should currently not be used clinically.
Autominder: a case study of assistive technology for elders with cognitive impairment
- Author:
- POLLACK Martha E.
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(2), Summer 2006, pp.67-69.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
Autominder is an assistive technology system developed at the University of Michigan, United States, that aims to support people with cognitive impairment by providing them with flexible, adaptive, and personalized reminders about their daily activities. This article briefly describes Autominders's capabilities.
Cognitive training in Alzheimer’s disease: a meta-analysis of the literature
- Authors:
- SITZER D.I., TWAMLEY E.W., JESTE C.V.
- Journal article citation:
- Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 114(2), August 2006, pp.75-90.
- Publisher:
- Blackwell Publishing
Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated for 19 controlled studies, and an overall effect size of 0.47 was observed for all cognitive training (CT) strategies across all measured outcomes. Mean effect sizes were higher for restorative strategies (designed to return functioning in specific domains to pre-disease levels) than for compensatory strategies (to teach new ways of performing tasks by ‘working round’ the cognitive deficit). Primarily medium effect sizes were observed for learning, memory, executive functioning, activities of daily living, general cognitive problems and self-rated general functioning. Several limitations of the published literature are discussed, including small sample sizes and the fact that most studies combine multiple treatment strategies, making it difficult to evaluate the efficacy of individual components.
Relationship between self-report and performance measures of function: a systematic review
- Authors:
- COMAN Liliana, RICHARDSON Julie
- Journal article citation:
- Canadian Journal on Aging, 25(3), 2006, pp.253-270.
- Publisher:
- Canadian Association on Gerontology
- Place of publication:
- Kanata
To facilitate planning for disability in old age, appropriate assessment tools of functional ability are required. A systematic review of the literature found 18 studies which compare self-report and performance-based measures in community dwelling older people. While the studies showed a wide range of correlation coefficient values, there was a moderate to large correlation in studies where both tools measured the same functional tasks and limitations, indicating that they are reflecting the same assessment of function. Further research is needed to determine the variables which affect the different tools.
Driving, dementia and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: a survey of old age psychiatrists
- Authors:
- NAIDU Anitha, McKIETH Ian G.
- Journal article citation:
- Psychiatric Bulletin, 30(7), July 2006, pp.265-268.
- Publisher:
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
The authors surveyed old age psychiatrists in the north-east of England to determine what they considered relevant indicators of driving ability. The survey asked about their satisfaction with the current Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) procedure of assessing competence to drive in patients with dementia and how they thought this could be improved. Fifty-seven out of 76 psychiatrists (75%) responded; 26 (45%) respondents thought the forms issued by the DVLA were unsatisfactory but 32 (57%) were satisfied with the eventual decisions made about individual patients. Factors thought to be relevant indicators of driving ability were occupational therapy (n=46, 81%), neuropsychological assessments (n=43, 75%) and carer’s report of driving (n=48, 84%). Factors thought not to be relevant were patient’s report of driving ability (n=13, 23%) and the Mini Mental State Examination (n=21, 38%). The current system for determining driving ability in people with cognitive impairment and dementia was felt to be unsatisfactory. A multidisciplinary approach and use of on-road driving assessments may improve decision-making.
Impairment of activities of daily living requiring memory or complex reasoning as part of the MCI syndrome
- Authors:
- PERNECZKY Robert, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(2), February 2006, pp.158-162.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a borderline state between age-associated cognitive decline and mild dementia. MCI is separated from mild dementia by an absence of global intellectual deterioration and the preservation of activities of daily living (ADL). However, even mild degrees of cognitive deterioration are known to have negative effects on complex ADL. The aim was to examine whether patients with MCI have impaired ADL as compared to healthy controls, which areas of ADL are particularly involved, and whether limitations on ADL are associated with demographical or clinical data. Forty-eight patients with MCI diagnosed according to research criteria and 42 cognitively unimpaired controls were enrolled. Cognitive function was inter alia assessed by the MMSE, complex ADL by the ADCS-MCI-ADL scale. Frequency distributions were compared between patients and controls using chi-square tests. Mean values were examined for statistically significant differences using Kruskal-Wallis tests. A Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons was applied to the comparison of the 18 areas of the ADCS-MCI-ADL scale. Associations between ADL and biographical or clinical data were analysed using non-parametric correlations. The overall score on the ADCS-MCI-ADL scale was significantly lower in the MCI group. Patients performed significantly worse on 14 out of 18 activities. Activities involving memory or complex reasoning were particularly impaired, whereas more basic activities were unimpaired. There were no statistically significant associations of the ADCS-MCI-ADL overall score with age, years of formal education, gender, or number of cognitive domains affected in the group of MCI patients. However, there was a statistically significant association between the ADCS-MCI-ADL and the MMSE score. MCI patients may be impaired in complex ADL.