Brain Health Activities, Compensation Strategies, Functional Aging, Subjective Cognitive Concerns
Conditions
Brief summary
This intervention is designed to promote enhanced use of compensation strategies including calendar and task list use, and organization systems, as well as increased engagement with brain health activities including physical exercise, cognitive activities, and stress reduction.
Detailed description
The purpose of this study is to test the feasibility and efficacy of a 10-week multi-dimensional intervention for older adults with subjective cognitive concerns (SCC). The goal of this intervention is to enhance compensation skills related to everyday executive and everyday memory functions through training in the systematic use of a calendar system, goal setting and task list system, and organizational strategies within the context of the individual's daily life. This multidimensional intervention program also targets engagement in healthy lifestyle activities (physical exercise, intellectual stimulation, positive emotional functioning) to further promote brain health and functional resilience. Importantly, both treatment components work synergistically as the use of compensation strategies assists in building healthy activities into daily routines (e.g., scheduling exercise into one's calendar and putting it on a task list).
Interventions
BEHAVIORALIntervention
Subjects will attend a series of 2 hour classes, once a week for 10 weeks. Topics discussed in group sessions will cover compensation strategies (e.g., calendar, goal setting and task lists, functional zones) and brain health behaviors (e.g., exercise, cognitive activity, stress reduction and mindfulness). Subjects may be asked to wear an actigraphy monitor (that looks like a wrist watch) and/or heart rate sensor that is designed to collect information regarding physical activity.
Sponsors
University of California, Davis
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* A positive complaint in response to two questions ('Do you feel like your memory or other aspects of thinking are becoming worse?'; 'Does this worry you?') * normal cognitive performance corrected for age and education on a global measure of cognitive functioning * independent in all activities of daily living. * English speaking; * Available informant to complete surveys; * Ambulatory
Exclusion criteria
* Known neurological condition; * Severe psychiatric illness (e.g., current depression).
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday Compensation Questionnaire | Change from baseline to immediately post-intervention and through 6 month follow up | a 54-item self-report questionnaire that asks participants how often they engage in a variety of activities that help them stay cognitively and physically active. |
| Everyday Cognition | Change from baseline to immediately post-intervention and through 6 month follow up | self-rated questionnaire of cognitively-based everyday abilities. The ECog comprises of 39 items on which the participant's current level of everyday functioning is compared to 10 years earlier. Items are rated on a four-point scale: 1= better or no change compared to 10 years earlier; 4= consistently much worse. Higher scores indicate greater functional limitations |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| List learning task | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | measures learning and memory |
| Executive function task | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | measures executive function |
| Beck Depression Inventory | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | Measures depressive symptomatology |
| GRIT | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | an 8-item questionnaire assessing consistency of interest and perseverance of effort on a five-point scale: 1 = not at all like me, 5 = very much like me. |
| psychomotor speed task | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | measures psychomotor speed function |
| Beck Anxiety Inventory | Measured at baseline, immediately after intervention, and 3 and 6 month follow up visits | Measures anxiety symptomatology |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed