ABSTRACT
New strategies are needed to help people cope with the repercussions of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. Patients and caregivers face different challenges, but here we investigated an intervention tailored for this combined population. The program focused on training skills such as attending to the present moment nonjudgmentally, which may help reduce maladaptive emotional responses. Patients participated together with caregivers in weekly group sessions over 8 weeks. An assessment battery was individually administered before and after the program. Pre-post analyses revealed several benefits, including increased quality-of-life ratings, fewer depressive symptoms, and better subjective sleep quality. In addition, participants indicated that they were grateful for the opportunity to learn to apply mindfulness skills and that they would recommend the program to others. In conclusion, mindfulness training can be beneficial for patients and their caregivers, it can be delivered at low cost to combined groups, and it is worthy of further investigation.
Subject(s)
Caregivers/psychology , Cognition Disorders/therapy , Dementia/therapy , Disease Progression , Mindfulness/methods , Psychotherapy, Group/methods , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Increased levels of cognitive activity may improve general cognitive function in older adults and potentially increase cognitive reserve, protecting against the onset of dementia associated with syndromes like Alzheimer's disease. To test the efficacy of cognitive training administered online, 18 participants (11 cognitively healthy; 7 mild cognitive impairment) were recruited from a clinical population of older adults to complete an online training intervention (CogniFit™). Before and after training, participants completed a separate battery of assessment measures, including measures of quality of life and competency at everyday activities, as well as a series of tests assessing cognitive function. Participants generally adhered to the online training protocol and completed a computerized assessment battery pre- and post-training. However, participants with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were somewhat less likely to adhere to the protocol, suggesting that more direct contact is needed with this population in intervention research. Furthermore, participants demonstrated significant improvement on a measure of working memory and also in processing speed across several assessments, though these data are tentative, as no control data exist. These results, along with the generally good adherence observed, suggest that online cognitive training is feasible for this population and a potentially valuable tool for the wider dissemination of cognitive training.
