TY - JOUR
T1 - The memory fitness program
T2 - Cognitive effects of a healthy aging intervention
AU - Miller, Karen J.
AU - Siddarth, Prabha
AU - Gaines, Jean M.
AU - Parrish, John M.
AU - Ercoli, Linda M.
AU - Marx, Katherine
AU - Ronch, Judah
AU - Pilgram, Barbara
AU - Burke, Kasey
AU - Barczak, Nancy
AU - Babcock, Bridget
AU - Small, Gary W.
PY - 2012/6
Y1 - 2012/6
N2 - Context: Age-related memory decline affects a large proportion of older adults. Cognitive training, physical exercise, and other lifestyle habits may help to minimize self-perception of memory loss and a decline in objective memory performance. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 6-week educational program on memory training, physical activity, stress reduction, and healthy diet led to improved memory performance in older adults. Design: A convenience sample of 115 participants (mean age: 80.9 [SD: 6.0 years]) was recruited from two continuing care retirement communities. The intervention consisted of 60-minute classes held twice weekly with 15-20 participants per class. Testing of both objective and subjective cognitive performance occurred at baseline, preintervention, and postintervention. Objective cognitive measures evaluated changes in five domains: immediate verbal memory, delayed verbal memory, retention of verbal information, memory recognition, and verbal fluency. A standardized metamemory instrument assessed four domains of memory self-awareness: frequency and severity of forgetting, retrospective functioning, and mnemonics use. Results: The intervention program resulted in significant improvements on objective measures of memory, including recognition of word pairs (t[114] = 3.62, p <0.001) and retention of verbal information from list learning (t[114] = 2.98, p <0.01). No improvement was found for verbal fluency. Regarding subjective memory measures, the retrospective functioning score increased significantly following the intervention (t[114] = 4.54, p <0.0001), indicating perception of a better memory. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a 6-week healthy lifestyle program can improve both encoding and recalling of new verbal information, as well as self-perception of memory ability in older adults residing in continuing care retirement communities.
AB - Context: Age-related memory decline affects a large proportion of older adults. Cognitive training, physical exercise, and other lifestyle habits may help to minimize self-perception of memory loss and a decline in objective memory performance. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether a 6-week educational program on memory training, physical activity, stress reduction, and healthy diet led to improved memory performance in older adults. Design: A convenience sample of 115 participants (mean age: 80.9 [SD: 6.0 years]) was recruited from two continuing care retirement communities. The intervention consisted of 60-minute classes held twice weekly with 15-20 participants per class. Testing of both objective and subjective cognitive performance occurred at baseline, preintervention, and postintervention. Objective cognitive measures evaluated changes in five domains: immediate verbal memory, delayed verbal memory, retention of verbal information, memory recognition, and verbal fluency. A standardized metamemory instrument assessed four domains of memory self-awareness: frequency and severity of forgetting, retrospective functioning, and mnemonics use. Results: The intervention program resulted in significant improvements on objective measures of memory, including recognition of word pairs (t[114] = 3.62, p <0.001) and retention of verbal information from list learning (t[114] = 2.98, p <0.01). No improvement was found for verbal fluency. Regarding subjective memory measures, the retrospective functioning score increased significantly following the intervention (t[114] = 4.54, p <0.0001), indicating perception of a better memory. Conclusions: These findings indicate that a 6-week healthy lifestyle program can improve both encoding and recalling of new verbal information, as well as self-perception of memory ability in older adults residing in continuing care retirement communities.
KW - Community setting
KW - healthy lifestyle
KW - memory training
KW - older adult
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84861458624&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84861458624&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318227f821
DO - 10.1097/JGP.0b013e318227f821
M3 - Article
C2 - 21765343
AN - SCOPUS:84861458624
SN - 1064-7481
VL - 20
SP - 514
EP - 523
JO - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
JF - American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
IS - 6
ER -