scholarly journals Effectiveness of home-based cognitive training program on a cognitive level, the activity of daily living among elderly persons with mild cognitive impairment in selected community settings of Puducherry

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 5301-5309
Author(s):  
Govindakumari R ◽  
Vijayalakshmi ◽  
Sai Sailesh Kumar Goothy ◽  
Vijay Raghvan

Aging is a physiological process that leads to both biological and psychological changes. The brain undergoes structural changes as a part of aging. According to the investigator's best knowledge and based on the extensive review, no structured study was conducted in India to test the effectiveness of cognitive training program. Hence, the present study was conducted to test the effectiveness of a home-based training program on select outcomes. A total of 314 elderly participants were recruited for the study after obtaining the written informed consent. After recruiting, the participants were randomly grouped into two groups, that is control and intervention groups, with 157 participants in each group. The intervention was administered to the experimental group. The present study results suggest that the home-based cognitive training program is effective in improving cognitive functions and daily life activities. The study recommends further detailed and multi-centered studies in this area to recommend the implementation of the program in the management of the cognitive impairments of the elderly.

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 851-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandra Martins Ferreira Warmling ◽  
Silvia Maria Azevedo dos Santos ◽  
Ana Lúcia Schaefer Ferreira de Mello

Abstract Objective: To identify strategies used in the oral health care of elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease in the home. Method: an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach to collecting and analyzing data was performed. Data was collected through interviews with 30 caregivers and analyzed by the content analysis technique. Results: The majority of subjects were female, daughters of the elderly person, university graduates and aged 32-77 years. The strategies identified were grouped into categories according to the participation of the caregiver: does not participate in care actions or oral health assessments; reminds the elderly person about oral hygiene, demonstrates movements and assists with some procedures; directly carries out actions of care. Conclusion: The strategies employed are related to the degree of dependence of the elderly person, as the caregiver acts based on the need for oral health care and the difficulties in carrying out such care.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 175
Author(s):  
Seungho Kim ◽  
Eunhee Park ◽  
Hyunsil Cha ◽  
Jae-Chang Jung ◽  
Tae-Du Jung ◽  
...  

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is defined as an intermediate state of cognitive alteration between normal aging and dementia. In this study, we performed a functional network connectivity analysis using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the association between changes in functional connectivity in the brain and the improvement in cognitive abilities after cognitive training. A computerized cognitive training program was used to improve the abilities of fifteen participants with MCI. The cognitive training program (Comcog), which consists of three weekly sessions totaling 90 min, was conducted with all participants over six weeks. The cognitive abilities before (pre-Comcog) and after (post-Comcog) the cognitive training process were measured using a neurocognitive function test. After the Comcog, the participants enhanced their visual and verbal memories, attention, and visuo-motor coordination. The functional connectivity between cingulo-opercular (CON) and default mode (DMN) showed significant improvements after Comcog training. Therefore, our study suggests that cognitive training may improve the cognitive abilities of participants. This improvement was associated with an increase in the functional connectivity between DMN and CON. The increase in functional connectivity after cognitive training was specifically associated with overall cognitive functions, including executive, memory, decision-making, and motivational functions.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. e028536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica D'Antonio ◽  
Laura Simon-Pearson ◽  
Terry Goldberg ◽  
Joel R Sneed ◽  
Sara Rushia ◽  
...  

IntroductionMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in older adults and represents a high-risk group for progression to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Medication trials in MCI have generally failed, but new discoveries with brain plasticity in ageing have led to the study of cognitive training as a potential treatment to improve cognitive abilities. Computerised cognitive training (CCT) involves computerised cognitive exercises that target specific cognitive abilities and neural networks to potentially improve cognitive functioning through neuroplasticity.Methods and analysisIn a two-site study (New York State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University Medical Center and Duke University Medical Center), we will randomise 100 patients with MCI (Wechsler Memory Scale-III Logical Memory II score 0–11; Folstein Mini Mental State Examination ≥23) to home-based CCT (suite of exercises: memory, matching, spatial recognition, processing speed) or a home-based active control condition (computerised crossword puzzle training (CPT)) with 12 weeks of intensive training followed by regular booster sessions up to 78 weeks. All patients will receive standard neuropsychological and functional assessments in clinic as well as structural/functional brain MRI scans at study entry and endpoint. We will test if CCT, versus CPT, leads to improved cognitive functioning, transfers to functional ability and tasks of everyday life and impacts hippocampal volume changes and changes in the default mode network of the brain measured by resting-state functional MRI.Ethics and disseminationThe study will be conducted following ethics approval and written informed consent will be obtained from all subjects. Study results will be disseminated via publication, clinicaltrials.gov, media and conference presentations. This will be the first controlled long-term trial to evaluate the effects of home-based CCT versus computerised CPT on cognitive abilities and functional measures and neural outcomes as determined by MRI indices in patients with MCI. Positive results from trial may support further development of home-based CCT.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT03205709).


1989 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Krout

This article examines data on rural versus urban differences in health dependency for a random sample of 600 western New York elderly people residing in a range of community settings from farm areas to a metropolitan central city. Data were collected via personal interviews, and health dependency was operationalized as an index composed of nine criterion measures. The nonmetropolitan elderly population is found to be less health dependent as are elderly persons who are younger, white, married, and have higher incomes. However, the rural/urban variable is not a significant predictor of health dependency when included in a multiple-regression analysis. These findings do not support the rural elderly health disadvantage argument and serve to illustrate some of the shortcomings of existing research on this topic.


2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ildri Kjølseth ◽  
Øivind Ekeberg ◽  
Sissel Steihaug

ABSTRACTBackground: The objective of this study is to acquire an understanding of the suicides among a group of elderly people by studying how they experienced their existence towards the end of life.Methods: This is a psychological autopsy study based on qualitative interviews with 63 informants in relation to 23 suicides committed by persons aged over 65 in Norway. Informants who knew the deceased persons well describe what the elderly person communicated to them about their experience of life in the period before the suicide and how they as informants saw and understood this. The informants comprise relatives, family doctors and home-based care nurses. The analysis of the interviews follows the systematic text condensation method.Results: The descriptions are divided into three main elements: the elderly persons' experiences of life, their perception of themselves, and their conceptions of death. “Experience of life” has two sub-topics: this life has been lived and life as a burden. Everything that had given value to their life had been lost and life was increasingly experienced as a burden. Their “perception of themselves” concerned losing oneself. Functional decline meant that they no longer had freedom of action and self-determination. “Conceptions of death” involve the following sub-topics: acknowledgement/acceptance and death is better than life. Life had entered into its final phase, and they seemed to accept death. For some time, many of them had expressed the wish to die.Conclusions: The results lead us to argue that their suicides should be considered as existential choices. The sum total of the different forms of strain had made life a burden they could no longer bear. Age meant that they were in a phase of life that entailed closeness to death, which they could also see as a relief.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saray Bonete ◽  
Ángela Osuna ◽  
Clara Molinero ◽  
Inmaculada García-Font

Previous studies have explored the impact of magic tricks on different basic cognitive processes yet there is a need of examining effectiveness of a cognitive training program through magic tricks for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present study examines the effectiveness and feasibility of the MAGNITIVE program, a manualized intervention for cognitive training through the learning of magic tricks. A total of 11 children with ADHD (from 8 to 12 years) participated in separated groups of two different community settings (hospital center and school), and were assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and a 3-month later follow-up in different tasks involving processing speed, sustained attention, selective attention, and mental flexibility. Using non parametric statistical analyses and Reliable Change Index, the results showed that these children receiving MAGNITIVE particularly improved their performance in sustained attention, shifting attention, and mental flexibility, changes were also observed in processing speed performance yet further research is needed in terms of selective attention and inhibition, given the great individual differences within this sample. Changes were maintained when the program was finished. In terms of viability, the study proved a good treatment integrity in different contexts (hospital and school setting), adherence to the curriculum (attendance and some practice at home), and high levels of engagement satisfaction. In this second clinical trial, MAGNITIVE program appears to be a feasible training program for children with ADHD, as an alternative for medication when possible.


2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 357-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjolein Missler ◽  
Margaret Stroebe ◽  
Lilian Geurtsen ◽  
Mirjam Mastenbroek ◽  
Sara Chmoun ◽  
...  

Given the growing number of elderly persons in society and concerns about their health and well-being, the aim was to review the available literature on their death anxiety, and to explore features of this experience among a small sample of older men and women in care facilities. In both the review and empirical parts of this study, components and correlates of death anxiety were investigated. The review revealed limited research focus on death anxiety among the elderly, particularly among those in institutions, but suggested both components and correlates for inclusion in our empirical study. Results showed that, among our elderly participants in an assisted living facility (N = 49; age range: 60–96 years), there were higher levels of fear for others and of the dying process than for fear of the unknown. Notably, among the correlates identified, fear for significant others was associated with poor physical health; fear of the dying process was related to low self-esteem, little purpose in life, and poor mental well-being. Gender differences in death anxiety were found: women showed greater fear for the death of loved ones and for the consequences of their own death on these loved ones, than did men. These patterns are discussed in the light of concerns about the welfare of elderly persons; scientific implications are also considered.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takayuki Nozawa ◽  
Yasuyuki Taki ◽  
Akitake Kanno ◽  
Yoritaka Akimoto ◽  
Mizuki Ihara ◽  
...  

Background. Increasing proportion of the elderly in the driving population raises the importance of assuring their safety. We explored the effects of three different types of cognitive training on the cognitive function, brain structure, and driving safety of the elderly.Methods. Thirty-seven healthy elderly daily drivers were randomly assigned to one of three training groups: Group V trained in a vehicle with a newly developed onboard cognitive training program, Group P trained with a similar program but on a personal computer, and Group C trained to solve a crossword puzzle. Before and after the 8-week training period, they underwent neuropsychological tests, structural brain magnetic resonance imaging, and driving safety tests.Results. For cognitive function, only Group V showed significant improvements in processing speed and working memory. For driving safety, Group V showed significant improvements both in the driving aptitude test and in the on-road evaluations. Group P showed no significant improvements in either test, and Group C showed significant improvements in the driving aptitude but not in the on-road evaluations.Conclusion. The results support the effectiveness of the onboard training program in enhancing the elderly’s abilities to drive safely and the potential advantages of a multimodal training approach.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S24-S25 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Karakula-Juchnowicz ◽  
P. Szachta ◽  
D. Juchnowicz ◽  
S. Grochowski ◽  
M. Gałęcka

Depression is a complex, heterogeneous psychiatric disorder with multifactorial aetiology. Substantial evidence indicates that depressive episodes are associated not only with changes in neurotransmission in the central nervous system (CNS), but also may lead to structural changes in the brain through neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and immunological mechanisms. Among the factors deserving special attention connected with developing systematic inflammation are altered intestinal permeability, IgG food intolerance, and changes in gut microbiota.We present a possible scenario of the development of depression, linking elevated zonulin production, loosening of the tight junction barrier, an increase in permeability of the gut wall, and the passage of macromolecules, normally staying the gut, into the bloodstream, with the immuno-inflammatory cascade and induction of IgG-dependent food sensitivity. Alterations in bidirectional signaling between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain, so called “microbiota–gut–brain axis”, may be normalized by dietary immunomodulating factors, including prebiotics and probiotics. In the case of increased IgG concentrations, the implementation of an elimination–rotation diet may prove to be an effective method of reducing inflammation and, in this way, alleviating depressive symptoms.Given complexity and variety of mood disorders, it is necessary to develop improved integration models. Preliminary study results raise hope that the new methods mentioned above, i.e. psychobiotics, prebiotics, an elimination-rotation diet, may be an important addition to the psychiatrist's armamentarium as therapeutic agents improving the efficacy of the treatment for affective disorders [1–3].Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Harumi Tanaka ◽  
Paulo Ferreira dos Santos ◽  
Marcela Fernandes Silva ◽  
Priscila Fernanda Figueiredo Borges Botelho ◽  
Patrícia Silva ◽  
...  

Abstract Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of a balance training program on the semi-static balance of elderly persons by comparing a supervised group with individual home-based application. Method: A blinded randomized controlled multi-arm trial was conducted. The elderly individuals were randomized into: Supervised Group (SG; n=18); Domiciliary Group (DG; n=20) and Control Group (CG; n=18). The SG and DG participated in twice weekly training sessions for 10 weeks. A posturography evaluation was performed based on velocity, anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) medial amplitude variables in firm surface with eyes open (FSEO) and closed (FSEC), tandem stance with eyes open (Tandem EO) and closed (Tandem EC), and single-leg stance (SL) situations. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc were used for parametric data, the Friedman and Wilcoxon post-hoc tests were used for intragroup analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney post-hoc tests were used for intergroup analysis. Results: In intergroup analysis, the DG group showed improvement in body sway in the Tandem EC (velocity and medial amplitude AP) and single-leg stance (medial amplitude ML) situations. The SG showed a decline in the Tandem EO situation in all the variables. In intergroup analysis, the DG showed improvement in the FSEO position (medial amplitude ML), in the Tandem EC position (medial velocity ML), and the single-leg stance position (medial amplitude AP and ML). The SG showed improvement in the FSEO position (medial amplitude ML) and the single-leg stance position (medial amplitude AP), but showed a decline in the FSEO (variable medial velocity AP) and Tandem EO position (medial amplitude AP). Conclusion: The exercises were beneficial for the balance of the elderly individuals, with the DG presenting the best results. REBEC: RBR-3S9M65.


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