Socio-demographic and health-related factors associated with cognitive impairment in the elderly in Taiwan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cognitive impairment is an age-related condition as the rate of cognitive decline rapidly increases with aging. It is especially important to better understand factors involving in cognitive decline for the countries where the older population is growing rapidly. The aim of this study was to examine the association between socio-demographic and health-related factors and cognitive impairment in the elderly in Taiwan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We analysed data from 2119 persons aged 65 years and over who participated in the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Cognitive impairment was defined as having the score of the Mini Mental State Examination lower than 24. The χ²test and multiple logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between cognitive impairment and variables of socio-demography, chronic diseases, geriatric conditions, lifestyle, and dietary factors.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 22.2%. Results of multivariate analysis indicated that low education, being single, low social support, lower lipid level, history of stroke, physical inactivity, non-coffee drinking and poor physical function were associated with a higher risk of cognitive impairment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most of the characteristics in relation to cognitive impairment identified in our analysis are potentially modifiable. These results suggest that improving lifestyle behaviours such as regular exercise and increased social participation could help prevent or decrease the risk of cognitive impairment. Further investigations using longitudinal data are needed to clarify our findings.</p

A randomized controlled trial on errorless learning in goal management training: study rationale and protocol

Contains fulltext : 128495.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Many brain-injured patients referred for outpatient rehabilitation have executive deficits, notably difficulties with planning, problem-solving and goal directed behaviour. Goal Management Training (GMT) has proven to be an efficacious cognitive treatment for these problems. GMT entails learning and applying an algorithm, in which daily tasks are subdivided into multiple steps. Main aim of the present study is to examine whether using an errorless learning approach (preventing the occurrence of errors during the acquisition phase of learning) contributes to the efficacy of Goal Management Training in the performance of complex daily tasks. METHODS/DESIGN: The study is a double blind randomized controlled trial, in which the efficacy of Goal Management Training with an errorless learning approach will be compared with conventional Goal Management Training, based on trial and error learning. In both conditions 32 patients with acquired brain injury of mixed etiology will be examined. Main outcome measure will be the performance on two individually chosen everyday-tasks before and after treatment, using a standardized observation scale and goal attainment scaling. DISCUSSION: This is the first study that introduces errorless learning in Goal Management Training. It is expected that the GMT-errorless learning approach will improve the execution of complex daily tasks in brain-injured patients with executive deficits. The study can contribute to a better treatment of executive deficits in cognitive rehabilitation. TRIAL REGISTRATION: (Dutch Trial Register): NTR3567.9 p

Cognitive rehabilitation in normal aging and individuals with subjective cognitive decline

Item does not contain fulltextAging-related changes include declines in especially episodic memory, working memory, processing speed, and executive functions. Cognitive rehabilitation programs for healthy older adults with subjective cognitive decline consist of brain training, strategy training, and multimodal interventions. In general, these interventions show small improvements within the trained domain (near-transfer effects), but limited benefits on untrained cognitive domains or everyday functioning (far-transfer effects). Multimodal approaches might be more effective to enhance multiple cognitive domains and everyday functioning. However, the current lack of clear efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation techniques in healthy older adults might be explained by methodological shortcomings of previous studies and the notion that aging-related cognitive decline is not considered to reflect impairments. Future interventions with longer follow-up duration should therefore focus more on psychoeducation on normal cognitive aging and target self-efficacy and worrying to diminish subjective cognitive complaints