Insights from ICAD 2009

Vienna, July 13, 2009 Education related to memory enhancement can be helpful for seniors.

Memory groups: improving memory knowledge, satisfaction and functioning of healthy elderly Olga Lymperopoulou, MSc1,2, Eleni Margioti1, Paraskevi Sakka1,2.
1Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, Athens, Greece, 2Hygeia Hospital, Athens, Greece. Abstract:

Background:
The vast majority of older adults report memory decline, are concerned about dementia and are interested in learning techniques for enhancing memory functioning in their everyday lives. A memory education and intervention program was developed and administered to community-dwelling older adults aged 60+ attending Municipal Recreation Centers in Athens, Greece.

Methods:
To screen out participants with possible memory impairment, brief cognitive testing was conducted. Participants were also excluded if they had medical problems that could affect cognition (neurological diseases, major depression etc). 40 participants were recruited. The program consisted of 12 weekly 1hr sessions and was conducted by trained psychologists (volunteers from the Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders) in 4 groups with 9-12 participants in each group.

Results:
The goals of the intervention were fully met: a) general knowledge regarding memory, aging and dementia increased and b) self-reported day-to-day memory functioning significantly improved. No significant changes were observed in objective memory performance as measured by formal memory testing.

Conclusions:
Evidence was obtained for the overall effectiveness of this memory education and intervention program. What remains to be explored is the long-term effectiveness of the gains obtained by the end of the program. In the light of the positive results obtained, the Athens Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders will continue the application of the program in larger scale.