OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of recruitment and retention of healthy older adults and the effectiveness of an intervention designed to manage age-related executive changes. DESIGN: A pilot randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Research centre and participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen healthy, community dwelling older adults with complaints of cognitive difficulties and everyday problems, but no evidence of mild cognitive impairment, dementia or depression on objective testing. INTERVENTIONS: Seventeen hours of group and individual training. Participants in the experimental arm received education about self-management, successful aging and an occupation-based meta-cognitive strategy-training program. Participants in the control arm received education about brain health and participated in cognitively stimulating exercises. MAIN MEASURES: Changes on untrained, everyday life goals were identified using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Generalization of benefits was measured using the Stanford Chronic Disease Questionnaire, general self-efficacy and changes in executive function (Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Tower Test, Word Fluency and Trail-Making Test). RESULTS: 20% (19/96) of healthy older adults approached were eligible, consented and were enrolled in the study, 90% (17/19) were retained to three-month follow-up. Participants in the experimental arm reported significantly more improvement on untrained goals (11/22 compared with 9/46, χ(2)=4.92, p<0.05), maintenance of physical activity (p<0.05) and better preparation for doctors' visits (p<0.05) relative to the control group. There were no significant between group differences on objective measures of executive function. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the feasibility of a larger trial where a sample of 72 (36 participants in each arm) would be required to confirm or refute these findings.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility of recruitment and retention of healthy older adults and the effectiveness of an intervention designed to manage age-related executive changes. DESIGN: A pilot randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Research centre and participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen healthy, community dwelling older adults with complaints of cognitive difficulties and everyday problems, but no evidence of mild cognitive impairment, dementia or depression on objective testing. INTERVENTIONS: Seventeen hours of group and individual training. Participants in the experimental arm received education about self-management, successful aging and an occupation-based meta-cognitive strategy-training program. Participants in the control arm received education about brain health and participated in cognitively stimulating exercises. MAIN MEASURES: Changes on untrained, everyday life goals were identified using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Generalization of benefits was measured using the Stanford Chronic Disease Questionnaire, general self-efficacy and changes in executive function (Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System Tower Test, Word Fluency and Trail-Making Test). RESULTS: 20% (19/96) of healthy older adults approached were eligible, consented and were enrolled in the study, 90% (17/19) were retained to three-month follow-up. Participants in the experimental arm reported significantly more improvement on untrained goals (11/22 compared with 9/46, χ(2)=4.92, p<0.05), maintenance of physical activity (p<0.05) and better preparation for doctors' visits (p<0.05) relative to the control group. There were no significant between group differences on objective measures of executive function. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the feasibility of a larger trial where a sample of 72 (36 participants in each arm) would be required to confirm or refute these findings.
Authors: Juleen Rodakowski; Charles F Reynolds; Oscar L Lopez; Meryl A Butters; Mary Amanda Dew; Elizabeth R Skidmore Journal: J Appl Gerontol Date: 2016-04-22
Authors: Elizabeth R Skidmore; Meryl Butters; Ellen Whyte; Emily Grattan; Jennifer Shen; Lauren Terhorst Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2016-10-26 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: S McEwen; C Dunphy; J Norman Rios; A Davis; J Jones; A Lam; I Poon; R Martino; J Ringash Journal: Curr Oncol Date: 2017-06-27 Impact factor: 3.677
Authors: Briana N Sprague; Sara A Freed; Christina E Webb; Christine B Phillips; Jinshil Hyun; Lesley A Ross Journal: Ageing Res Rev Date: 2019-04-17 Impact factor: 10.895
Authors: N D Koblinsky; N D Anderson; F Ajwani; M D Parrott; D Dawson; S Marzolini; P Oh; B MacIntosh; L Middleton; G Ferland; C E Greenwood Journal: Pilot Feasibility Stud Date: 2022-02-09