None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
No study has yet investigated the therapeutic impact of computerized cognitive training (CCT) in frail or cognitively impaired daycare centre (DCC) clients or residents of retirement vilages, nor the relative merits of any particular booster training schedule. DCCs and retirement villages are an ideal health care setting to test CCT for primary and secondary prevention as they engage ultra high risk frail and old-old individuals and routinely deliver activities to their clients. This study will therefore compare two different booster training schedules in these settings with the aim of determining whether monthly booster sessions are equally effective at maintaining CCT gains as fortnightly booster sessions over a 3-month period. Specifically we aim to: 1. Compare the efficacy of monthly vs fortnightly booster sessions, by measuring cognitive function 3-months post-training; 2. Test the impact of the two booster schedules on everyday functional activities; If booster sessions can be spaced out like this without major loss in efficacy, then this will have significant ramifications for the practical and widespread implementation of computerized cognitive training in DCCs and retirement villages. Positive findings may also result in delaying the onset of cognitive impairment or loss of functional independence. In turn, these outcomes may benefit individuals, carers, communities and the health system.
Interventions
Computer-assisted Cognitive Training (CCT):
The intervention will be conducted over a period of 6 months. All training session will be approximately 40 minutes in duration and conducted by an experienced trainer in a group setting in the computer rooms of day centres/retirement villages. Training sessions will become part of regular activities at the day care centres/retirement village. Times will be discussed in advanced, and every effort will be made to keep training sessions the same time ea
Computer-assisted Cognitive Training (CCT): The intervention will be conducted over a period of 6 months. All training session will be approximately 40 minutes in duration and conducted by an experienced trainer in a group setting in the computer rooms of day centres/retirement villages. Training sessions will become part of regular activities at the day care centres/retirement village. Times will be discussed in advanced, and every effort will be made to keep training sessions the same time each week. Participants who do not show up for a session are contacted to enquire about their absence, and a make-up session will be scheduled. The CCT intervention will use Captain’s Log MindPower Bulider. This suite of cognitive training exercises was developed in collaboration with clinical staff and is largely based upon well-established neuropsychological tests and principles, and has been used extensively in neuropsychiatric research. It has been used in numerous studies, and was shown to to be effective in preserving cognition/preventing further decline in older adults with cognitive impairments. Multiple exercises will be used to target a range of cognitive domains and will include both verbal and visual modalities. This helps to ensure that exercises remain novel, challenging and fun. The intervention will be adapted for difficulty levels, and some can involve use of a touchscreen. A pre-training session will be provided to all participants. Both groups will initially undergo 24 sessions of CCT over 3 months (2/week for 12 weeks). For the following 3 months, one group will undergo monthly training, whilst the other will undergo fortnightly training. There will be a no contact period for the remaining 3 months.
Sponsors
University of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
60 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
1. Age of 60 years or above 2. Ability to read, write and communicate in English 3. Sufficient physical ability (motor, eyesight, hearing) to use a computer. 4. Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >23 5. Regularly attend day care centres or resident of retirement village
Exclusion criteria
1. Cognitive training in the past 6 months. 2. MMSE < 24 3. Severe depression as indicated by the depression score (greater than or equal to 21) from the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS)
Outcome results
None listed