Predictors of Long-Term Improvement in Subjective Everyday Memory Following a Memory Group Program for Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 216-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milanda L. Matthews ◽  
Kerryn E. Pike ◽  
Bradley J. Wright ◽  
Glynda J. Kinsella
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Group Program ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Everyday Memory ◽  
Memory Ability ◽  
Cognitive Predictors ◽  
Memory Concerns ◽  
Memory Group

Objective: The present study aimed to examine predictors of improvement in subjective everyday memory ability 5 years following participation in a group cognitive-behavioral memory intervention for community-living older adults, the La Trobe and Caulfield Hospital (LaTCH) Memory Group program. Method: Participants were 61 healthy older adults and data were analyzed using one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), hierarchical regression, and moderator analyses. Results: Although the group as a whole did not show significant gains in subjective memory ability following the intervention, greater gains in subjective memory ability were associated with poorer baseline associative memory, better baseline cognitive flexibility, and more subjective memory concerns prior to intervention. There was no interaction between the cognitive predictors and subjective memory concerns in predicting gains in subjective memory ability. Discussion: Differential benefits for more cognitively flexible individuals may derive from a greater capacity to engage skillfully in the expectancy modification aspects of the program.

scholarly journals Relational memory and self-efficacy measures reveal distinct profiles of subjective memory concerns in older adults.

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 568-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather D. Lucas ◽  
Jim M. Monti ◽  
Edward McAuley ◽  
Patrick D. Watson ◽  
Arthur F. Kramer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Relational Memory ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Efficacy Measures ◽  
Memory Concerns

scholarly journals Barriers to help-seeking for memory problems in older adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1027-1033
Author(s):  
Ann Pearman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Help Seeking ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Memory Problems ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Help ◽  
Memory Concerns

Abstract Purpose Early detection of age- and disease-related cognitive problems affords patients the opportunities to receive medical treatment, engage in research, and plan for the future. Understanding help-seeking behavior has potential to aid both patients and clinicians. This study was designed to identify predictors of endorsed barriers to memory-related help-seeking as well as medical help-seeking endorsement. Methods This cross-sectional correlational study used a convenience sample of 97 older adults. The participants answered anonymous questionnaires about subjective memory, mood, and health and several items designed to investigate help-seeking for memory issues. Results Persons who endorsed multiple barriers to help-seeking were more likely to also endorse having hearing problems. In addition, participants who reported that they would not talk to a doctor or physician about memory concerns also had significantly worse subjective hearing. Conclusion Hearing loss may be a particular risk for not seeking help for memory problems. Physicians and healthcare agencies can work to design outreach for persons who experience barriers, such as hearing loss and the concomitant outcomes.

The Factor Structure of Items Assessing Subjective Memory: Between-Persons and Within-Persons across Time

Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jacqueline Mogle ◽  
Nikki L. Hill ◽  
Tyler Reed Bell ◽  
Sakshi Bhargava ◽  
Emily Bratlee-Whitaker
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Factor Structure ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
Memory Ability ◽  
Multidimensional Construct ◽  
Over Time

Introduction: Current understanding of the psychometric properties of items intended to assess the multidimensional construct of subjective memory (SM) is limited, as longitudinal studies of aging commonly use single items or brief sets of items to assess SM. Investigating how SM items cluster within individuals over time would increase the understanding of how combining these items impacts their utility as an early indicator of cognitive change in the aging trajectory. To address this need, the current study examined the factor structure of a brief set of SM items in an existing longitudinal study focused on cognitive aging at both the within-person and between-person levels. Methods: Data were drawn from the Einstein Aging Study, a longitudinal cohort study of aging (N = 1,239, Mage = 77.51, SD = 5.03; 69.50% white; 24.27% black; 6.23% other). Community-dwelling older adults from an urban area of New York City were interviewed annually. At each wave, participants responded to 6 items intended to assess SM. Items assessed participants’ perceived memory decline as well as current memory ability. Multilevel exploratory factor analyses examined which factor solution best fit the data at between-person and within-person levels. Results: Factor structure of the SM items varied at the two levels. At the within-person level, two factors emerged, whereas at the between-person level, a single factor best represented the SM items. Items assessing perceived declines in memory functioning tended to have similar trajectories, while items assessing current memory ability were less related to change over time. Conclusion: Items appeared to assess two different dimensions of SM when examining within-person changes in SM across time; however, the item structure suggested no other items covaried systematically within persons over time. In contrast to the conceptualization of SM as a multidimensional construct, our findings suggest that when measuring SM between individuals, SM items tend to capture a single dimension underlying SM. This may be due to the long retrospection period of items assessing perceived memory ability. A single item assessing perceived memory decline in older adults without evidence of objective cognitive impairment may be sufficient to monitor memory change in clinical or research settings.

Effects of Aging on the Subcortical Encoding of Stop Consonants

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 391-403
Author(s):  
Dania Rishiq ◽  
Ashley Harkrider ◽  
Cary Springer ◽  
Mark Hedrick
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Auditory Brainstem ◽  
Auditory Brainstem Responses ◽  
Aging Effects ◽  
Formant Frequency ◽  
Place Of Articulation ◽  
Second Formant ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Purpose The main purpose of this study was to evaluate aging effects on the predominantly subcortical (brainstem) encoding of the second-formant frequency transition, an essential acoustic cue for perceiving place of articulation. Method Synthetic consonant–vowel syllables varying in second-formant onset frequency (i.e., /ba/, /da/, and /ga/ stimuli) were used to elicit speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses (speech-ABRs) in 16 young adults ( M age = 21 years) and 11 older adults ( M age = 59 years). Repeated-measures mixed-model analyses of variance were performed on the latencies and amplitudes of the speech-ABR peaks. Fixed factors were phoneme (repeated measures on three levels: /b/ vs. /d/ vs. /g/) and age (two levels: young vs. older). Results Speech-ABR differences were observed between the two groups (young vs. older adults). Specifically, older listeners showed generalized amplitude reductions for onset and major peaks. Significant Phoneme × Group interactions were not observed. Conclusions Results showed aging effects in speech-ABR amplitudes that may reflect diminished subcortical encoding of consonants in older listeners. These aging effects were not phoneme dependent as observed using the statistical methods of this study.

Leisure Activities and the Subjective Well-Being of Older Adults in Croatia

GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽  
Tihana Brkljačić ◽  
Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽  
Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽  
Renata Franc
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Perceived Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Financial Status

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.

Fear of memory decline predicts lower quality of life and increased memory failures in older adults: Preliminary findings from a novel fear-avoidance of memory decline scale.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Farina ◽  
Marc Patrick Bennett ◽  
James William Griffith ◽  
Bert Lenaert
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Fear Avoidance ◽  
Subjective Memory ◽  
Memory Decline ◽  
General Anxiety ◽  
Quality Of Life Scale ◽  
The Impact

Evidence concerning the impact of fear of memory decline on health-related outcomes is limited. To determine the relationship between fear-avoidance of memory decline, quality of life and subjective memory in older adults using a novel scale to measure fear of memory decline. Sixty-seven older adults (59-81 years) completed a 23-item self-report questionnaire designed to capture experiential, cognitive and behavioral components of fear of memory decline, known as the fear and avoidance of memory decline (FAM) scale. Memory performance was assessed using the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS-IV) and the Memory Failures Scale (MFS). General anxiety was assessed using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS) and the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI). Quality of life was assessed using the Older Person’s Quality of Life scale (OPQOL-35). The FAM scale demonstrated good reliability and validity. Three latent factors were observed including: (1) fear-avoidance, (2) problematic beliefs and (3) resilience. After adjusting for age, education, memory performance and general anxiety, higher fear-avoidance predicted lower quality of life (p=.021) and increased memory failures (p=.022). Increased fear of memory decline predicts lower quality of life and subjective memory failures in healthy older adults. Based on these findings, we propose a preliminary fear-avoidance model that explains the development and maintenance of dementia-related functional disability in terms of psychological processes.

scholarly journals Dual Decline in Gait and Cognition Is Associated With Future Dementia: Evidence for a Phenotype

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 264-264
Author(s):  
Manuel Montero Odasso ◽  
Mark Speechley ◽  
Richard Camicioli ◽  
Nellie Kamkar ◽  
Qu Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Regression Models ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Cox Models ◽  
Incident Dementia ◽  
Risk Of Progression ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract BACKGROUND: The concurrent decline in gait speed and cognition are associated with future dementia. However, the clinical profile of those who present with dual-decline has not yet been described. We aimed to describe the phenotype and risk for incident dementia of individuals who present a dual-decline in comparison with non dual-decliners. METHODS: Prospective cohort of community-dwelling older adults free of dementia at baseline. We evaluated participants’ gait speed, cognition, medical status, functionality, incidence of adverse events, and dementia biannually over 7 years. Gait speed was assessed with a 6-meter electronic-walkway, and global cognition was assessed using the MoCA test. We compared characteristics between dual-decliners and non dual-decliners using t-test, Chi-square, and hierarchical regression models. We estimated incident dementia using Cox models. RESULTS: Among 144 participants (mean age 74.23 ± 6.72 years, 54% women), 17% progressed to dementia. Dual-decliners had a three-fold risk (HR: 3.12, 95%CI:1.23-7.93, p=0.017) of progression to dementia compared with non dual-decliners. Dual-decliners were significantly older with a higher prevalence of hypertension and dyslipidemia (p=0.002). Hierarchical regression models show that age and sex alone explained 3% of the variation in the dual-decliners group, while adding hypertension and dyslipidemia increased the explained variation to 8% and 10 %, respectively. The risk of becoming a dual-decliner was 4-fold if hypertension was present. CONCLUSION: Older adults with concurrent decline in gait speed and cognition represent a group at the highest risk of progression to dementia. These dual-decliners have a distinct phenotype with a higher prevalence of hypertension, a potentially treatable condition.

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