Validation of the dementia care assessment packet-instrumental activities of daily living

Body mass index, performance on activities of daily living and cognition: analysis in two different populations

BACKGROUND

With this study, we aim to determine the associations of the different categories of the body mass index (BMI) with activities of daily living (ADL) and cognitive performance in two different populations living in the community; Colombian and South Korean older adults.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of two surveys separately; The Survey on Health, Well-Being, and Aging in Colombia (SABE) (n = 23,343) and the Korean Longitudinal Study of aging (KLoSA) (n = 4556). Participants older than 50 years were selected from rural and urban areas achieving a representative sample. Here we investigated the association between BMI categories with function using zero-inflated negative binomial regressions, and with cognition using logistic regression models.

RESULTS

After adjustment, in Colombia, underweight was associated with an impaired score on the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and worse performance in the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). Also, being overweight was associated with a better score on the MMSE and the IADL. For both outcomes education level significantly influenced the predictions. In South Korea, there were no significant associations for cognition, IADL, or basic activities of daily living (BADL).

CONCLUSIONS

In the Colombian population, underweight, was associated with reduced cognitive performance and daily functioning. Additionally, being overweight but not obese was associated with better cognition and daily functioning. In South Korea, there were no significant associations between BMI and cognition, IADL, or BADL.

Nurse-Led Computerized Cognitive Training for Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Preliminary Study

PURPOSE

This preliminary study aimed to compare the outcomes of an occupational therapist-led and a nurse-led computerized cognitive training (CCT) for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in older adults.

DESIGN

A single-blind randomized controlled trial was performed.

METHODS

Participants 65 years of age and older with MCI were randomly assigned to a group led by an occupational therapist or by a nurse. Both groups received CCT for 4 weeks.

FINDINGS

Six participants in the occupational therapist-led group and nine in the nurse-led group completed CCT. The nurse-led group showed significant improvement in scores on the Seoul Verbal Learning Test-Elderly's version immediate recall scores (p = .030) and the Korean-Boston Naming Test (p = .012).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse-led CCT demonstrated improvement in some language and memory areas in older adults with MCI.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This study supports the idea of educating nurses to use a CCT program for treating older adults with MCI to improve their cognitive function.