Reasoning Exercises in Assisted Living (REAL): a feasibility study

• Published in: Issues in mental health nursing Vol. 29; no. 8; p. 797
• Main Author: Williams, Kristine N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01.08.2008
• Subjects: Aged; Assisted Living Facilities; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - therapy; Cognitive Therapy - methods; Feasibility Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Problem Solving
• ISSN: 0161-2840; 1096-4673; 1096-4673
• DOI: 10.1080/01612840802182813

Assisted living facility residents are at risk of cognitive decline that can precipitate nursing home placement. Cognitive training protects cognition and leads to maintained self-care for community dwelling elders. This pilot study tested an intervention designed to improve reasoning and everyday problem solving for assisted living residents. Volunteers (N = 4) completed six Reasoning Exercises in Assisted Living (REAL) training sessions provided over one month. Pre-intervention, immediate post-intervention, and three-month follow-up assessments of problem solving were compared. Participants' scores on Everyday Problems for Cognitively Challenged Elderly (EPCCE) increased 20% from pre-(M = 11.00, SD = 8.83) to post-intervention (M = 19.5, SD = 8.35, t = -312, p = .05). After three months, participants showed sustained EPCCE score improvement (M = 21.75, SD = 4.57, t = -3.95, p = .03).