Can Memory Training Improve Outcomes and Function? |
When I was a high school student, my maternal grandmother was diagnosed with dementia. This became a reality after her husband died. My mom moved her into our home thinking we might be able to keep her safe and comfortable, but nursing home placement was inevitable. This event was devastating to me.
Globally, over 55 million people live with dementia, a figure expected to reach 139 million by 2050, with millions more experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to dementia, with estimates suggesting around 20% or more of older adults could be affected.
Many older adults experience forgetfulness and have lapses in their memories and therefore worry about these incidents. The fear of developing dementia is real and creates anxiety when memory is challenged.
With the numbers of dementia cases expected to continue to increase globally, there remains a strong interest in cognitive aging, including all phases such as prevention (enhancement), impairment (diagnosis), and/or disability (treatment).
The Decade of the Brain (1990-1999) led to the discovery that the brain is adaptable and has plasticity throughout life and is able to produce new cells in adulthood, known as neurogenesis (Jones, et al., 1999). This federal initiative led to a major increase in the visibility of neuroscience research.
Brain plasticity (or neuroplasticity) is the brain's remarkable ability to reorganize its structure, functions, and neural connections throughout life in response to experiences, learning, and even injury, allowing it to adapt by strengthening existing pathways or forming new ones.
A study of 120 older adults who exercised had a bigger hippocampus, and the people that have more tissue in the hippocampus have a better spatial memory (Erickson et al., 2011).
The AARP surveys (2022, 2023) reported the adults who engaged in healthy behaviors self-reported better brain health and higher mental well-being scores. Next, those adults who regularly engaged in healthy lifestyle........