scholarly journals Long-Term Cognitive Effects From a Real-World Multi-Skill Learning Intervention in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 520-520
Author(s):  
Leah Ferguson ◽  
Debaleena Sain ◽  
Esra Kürüm ◽  
Carla Strickland-Hughes ◽  
George Rebok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Digit Span ◽  
Cognitive Learning ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Learning Intervention

Abstract Previous cognitive learning interventions have focused primarily on learning one or two novel real-world skills at a time, or utilizing computer-based programs to enhance specific cognitive skills (Ball et. al 2002; Park et. al, 2014). While these studies yielded immediate cognitive improvements in participants, the long-term benefits of continuing to learn several real-world skills in older adulthood is unclear. In the present two studies, the long-term (1-year post-intervention) benefits of a multi-skill learning intervention were investigated with older adult participants. Study 1 (a pilot sample) included 6 participants (67% female, M = 66.33 years, SD = 6.41, range = 58–74 years old) and Study 2 included 27 participants (67% female, M = 69.44 years, SD= 7.12, range = 58–86 years old). Following a three month intervention which entailed simultaneously learning at least three real-world skills, such as photography, drawing, and Spanish, participants’ cognitive abilities were assessed using four tasks (Flanker, Set-Shifting, Dot Counting, and N-Back), as well as RAVLT and Digit Span. Follow-up assessments were completed at three-, six-, and 12-month follow-ups after the interventions. Linear mixed-effects regression models revealed significant cognitive improvements across time points up to one year following the intervention compared to baseline assessments. These promising results support the idea that intense learning experiences may lead to considerable cognitive growth in older adulthood, as they do earlier in the lifespan.

Improvement in Cognitive Abilities, Mental and Emotional Well-being of Teenagers following a Meditation Retreat: An Open-Trial pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Kanchibhotla ◽  
Saumya Subramanian ◽  
Shashank Kulkarni
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Mental Health ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
World Health ◽  
Repeated Measure ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Meditation Retreat ◽  
Mental Well Being

Background: Background: Today’s teenagers face several challenges that result in poor mental health, depression and anxiety. Several studies in the past decade have explored meditation as an adjunctive therapy for mental illness however the long term residual benefits of meditation have rarely been studied. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the benefits of a four day meditation retreat on cognitive abilities, mental and emotional well-being of teenagers. Methods: 303 teenagers participated in this study. Cognitive abilities of the students were measured using theSix letter cancellation test (SLCT). Mental and emotional well-being was measured using World Health Organization Well-being index (WHO-5) and Strength and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) respectively. Data analysis was performed using paired sample t-test and repeated measure ANOVA. Results: Teenagers demonstrated a 33% increase in average accuracy for SLCT post intervention. WHO-5 mental well-being index scores also increased significantly (p <1). The participants experienced significant reduction in emotional problems and hyperactivity as measured by SDQ. The benefits of the retreat continued to persist, when measured after 40 days of the intervention. Conclusion: A well-structured meditation retreat has significant and long term benefits on teenagers’ mental well-being, emotional stability and cognitive capacity.

Reminiscence intervention for community-dwelling older adults without dementia: a literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Shropshire
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Positive Health ◽  
Term Care

The aim of the present integrative literature review is to summarise empirical evidence supporting the positive health benefits of reminiscence intervention for older adults without dementia who reside in community and long-term care settings. Reminiscence intervention may be used to improve cognitive ability in older adults by prompting them to share life stories and recall past events. Using Garrard's matrix method, 15 studies were identified and included in this review, with a total of 815 participants. The health outcomes of reminiscence intervention for older adults residing in the community and long-term care settings were improvements in depressive symptoms; greater wellbeing, peace and life satisfaction; and improvements in quality of life, social engagement, anxiety and cognitive skills/memory. Non-pharmacological approaches such as reminiscence intervention may contribute to a rich base for reformulating cognitive interpretations, increasing cognitive abilities, and improving social skills among older adults.

scholarly journals Do Real-World Prosociality Programs Predict Greater Psychological Well-Being in Kids?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Douglas Edward Proulx ◽  
Julia W. Van de Vondervoort ◽  
Kiley Hamlin ◽  
John Helliwell ◽  
Lara Beth Aknin
Keyword(s):  
Real World ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Disadvantaged Children ◽  
Real World Evidence ◽  
Prosocial Action

Numerous laboratory studies suggest that engaging in prosocial action predicts greater psychological well-being, yet little work has examined whether kids (aged 5–12) experience these benefits in real-world community settings. In Study 1, we surveyed 24/25 students who completed their entire Grade 6 curriculum in a long-term care home alongside residents called “Elders.” We found that the meaning that kids derived from interacting with the Elders strongly predicted greater psychological well-being. In Study 2, we conducted a pre-registered field experiment with 238 kids who were randomly assigned to package essential items for disadvantaged children who were either demographically similar or dissimilar to them. Kids self-reported their happiness both pre- and post-intervention. While happiness increased from pre- to post-intervention, this change did not differ for kids who helped a similar or dissimilar recipient. These studies offer real-world evidence that engaging in prosocial action—over an afternoon or year—may enhance kids’ psychological well-being.

scholarly journals The Impact of Learning Multiple Real-World Skills on Cognitive Abilities and Functional Independence in Healthy Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1155-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirley Leanos ◽  
Esra Kürüm ◽  
Carla M Strickland-Hughes ◽  
Annie S Ditta ◽  
Gianhu Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Real World ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Multiple Skills

Abstract Objective The natural learning experience from infancy to emerging adulthood, when considerable cognitive and functional growth is observed, mandates learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously. The present studies investigated whether learning multiple real-world skills simultaneously is possible in older adults and also whether it improves both their cognitive abilities (working memory, episodic memory, and cognitive control) and functional independence. Method Over two studies (15 and 27 participants), older adults learned at least three new skills (e.g., Spanish, drawing, music composition) simultaneously for 3 months. Participants completed cognitive and functional assessments before, during, and after the intervention in both studies. Participants were recruited sequentially for an intervention or no-contact control group in Study 1, and Study 2 included only an intervention group, who also completed assessments 4–6 weeks prior to the start of the intervention (i.e., they served as their own control group). Results Results from both studies show that simultaneously learning multiple skills is feasible and potentially beneficial for healthy older adults. Learning multiple skills simultaneously increased cognitive abilities in older adults by midpoint of the intervention, to levels similar to performance in a separate sample of middle-aged adults, 30 years younger. Discussion Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and potential of conducting a real-world skill-learning intervention involving learning three novel skills with older adults. Our multiskill intervention may provide broad cognitive gains, akin to the benefits experienced earlier in the life span.

scholarly journals Long-Term Socialization with Humans Affects Human-Directed Behavior in Goats

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Mastellone ◽  
Anna Scandurra ◽  
Biagio D’Aniello ◽  
Christian Nawroth ◽  
Fiorella Saggese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Capra Aegagrus ◽  
Impossible Task

Throughout their evolutionary history, humans have tried to domesticate a variety of wild terrestrial mammals, resulting in a limited number that has been successfully domesticated. Among these domesticated species, domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) are a useful model species to study the effects of ontogenesis on the socio-cognitive abilities of domestic non-companion animals in their interactions with humans. To this end, the behavioral responses of two groups of goats with a different background of human socialization (high and low socialization) were compared in the impossible task test, an experimental paradigm aimed to study socio-cognitive skills and the tendency to interact with humans. Our results show that, when the task became impossible to solve, goats with a higher level of socialization interacted with the experimenter for a greater amount of time than subjects in the low socialization group, whereas the latter group exhibited increased door directed behavior. Overall, highly socialized goats made more social contact with humans compared to the other group in the impossible task paradigm.

scholarly journals Multi-component cognitive intervention for older adults with mixed cognitive levels: implementation and preliminary effectiveness in real-world settings

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui-Fen Mao ◽  
Athena Yi-Jung Tsai ◽  
Ling-Hui Chang ◽  
I-Lu Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Real World ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Cognitive Intervention ◽  
General Function ◽  
Group Leaders ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Test Part ◽  
Cognitive Levels

Abstract Background In most controlled studies of multi-component cognitive intervention, participants’ cognitive levels are homogenous, which is contrary to real-world settings. There is a lack of research studying the implementation of evidence-based cognitive intervention in communities. This study describes the implementation and preliminary effectiveness of a Multi-component Cognitive Intervention using Simulated Everyday Tasks (MCI-SET) for older adults with different cognitive levels in real-world settings. Methods Single group, pre-intervention assessment, post-intervention assessment, and 3-month follow-up research design. MCI-SET consists of 12 two-hour weekly sessions that include motor-cognitive tasks, cognitive training, and cognitive rehabilitation. One hundred and thirty participants, > = 65 and frail, dependence on > = one instrumental daily activity, or with confirmed dementia, from eight community centers were included. The primary outcome is general cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Taiwan, MoCA-T). Secondary outcomes are memory (Miami Prospective Memory Test, Digits Forward, Digits Backward), attention (Color Trail Test-Part 1), executive function (Color Trail Test-Part 2), and general function (Kihon Checklist-Taiwan). Results Pre-intervention workshop for group leaders, standardized activity protocols, on-site observation, and ten weekly conferences were conducted to ensure implementation fidelity. MCI-SET had an 85% retention rate and 96% attendance rate. The participants had a mean age of 78.26 ± 7.00 and a mean MoCA-T score of 12.55 ± 7.43. 73% were female. General cognition (Hedges’ g = 0.31), attention (Hedges’ g = 0.23), and general function (Hedges’ g = 0.31), showed significant post-intervention improvement with small effect size. Follow-ups showed maintained improvement in general cognition (Hedges’ g = 0.33), and delayed effect on attention (Hedges’ g = 0.20), short-term memory (Hedges’ g = 0.38), and executive function (Hedges’ g = 0.40). Regression analysis indicated that the intervention settings (day care centers vs neighborhood centers), the pre-intervention cognitive levels, and the pre-intervention general function of the participants were not associated with the outcomes. Conclusions MCI-SET is feasible and can improve the cognitive skills and general functions of older adults with heterogeneous cognitive skills or disabilities. It is essential to tailor programs to fit the interests of the participants and the culture of local communities. Group leaders must also have the skills to adjust the cognitive demands of the tasks to meet the heterogeneous cognitive levels of participants. Trial registration This study was retrospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04615169).

878-P: Real-World Data from U.S. Patients Using a Long-Term Implantable Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System: Age Effect on Glycemic Control

Diabetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 878-P
Author(s):  
KATHERINE TWEDEN ◽  
SAMANWOY GHOSH-DASTIDAR ◽  
ANDREW D. DEHENNIS ◽  
FRANCINE KAUFMAN
Keyword(s):  
Glycemic Control ◽  
Continuous Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Real World ◽  
Glucose Monitoring ◽  
Age Effect ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
World Data

scholarly journals Health education through mass media announcements by loudspeakers about malaria care: prevention and practice among people living in a malaria endemic area of northern Myanmar

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pyae Linn Aung ◽  
Tepanata Pumpaibool ◽  
Than Naing Soe ◽  
Jessica Burgess ◽  
Lynette J. Menezes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intervention Group ◽  
Malaria Prevention ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Endemic Region ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Transmission Season ◽  
Baseline Knowledge ◽  
Peak Transmission

Abstract Background Interventions to raise community awareness about malaria prevention and treatment have used various approaches with little evidence on their efficacy. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of loudspeaker announcements regarding malaria care and prevention practices among people living in the malaria endemic villages of Banmauk Township, Sagaing Region, Myanmar. Methods Four villages among the most malaria-burdened areas were randomly selected: two villages were assigned as the intervention group, and two as the control. Prior to the peak transmission season of malaria in June 2018, a baseline questionnaire was administered to 270 participants from randomly selected households in the control and intervention villages. The loudspeaker announcements broadcasted health messages on malaria care and prevention practices regularly at 7:00 pm every other day. The same questionnaire was administered at 6-month post intervention to both groups. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and the t-test were utilized to assess differences between and within groups. Results Participants across the control and intervention groups showed similar socio-economic characteristics; the baseline knowledge, attitude and practice mean scores were not significantly different between the groups. Six months after the intervention, improvements in scores were observed at p-value < 0.001 in both groups, however; the increase was greater among the intervention group. The declining trend of malaria was also noticed during the study period. In addition, more than 75% of people expressed positive opinions of the intervention. Conclusions The loudspeaker intervention was found to be feasible and effective, as shown by the significant improvement in scores related to prevention and care-seeking practices for malaria as well as reduced malaria morbidity. Expanding the intervention to a larger population in this endemic region and evaluating its long-term effectiveness are essential in addition to replicating this in other low-resource malaria endemic regions.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document