Preventing Cognitive and Functional Decline Among Seniors at Risk

Preventing Cognitive and Functional Decline Among Seniors at Risk: A Community-Based Randomized Trial

This study evaluates the efficacy of Real-World Strategy Training (RWST) compared to a psycho-education workshop for improving everyday life performance in older adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of these approaches.

Evidence suggests that 25-50% of community-dwelling older adults report SCD and that these individuals have an elevated risk for developing Mild Cognitive Impairment and/or dementia. Many of these individuals report difficulties with complex activities of daily living.

RWST aims to reduce these difficulties in everyday life by providing a meta-cognitive training approach that compensates for age-related executive changes. The approach is provided within the context of individually identified everyday-life difficulties.

The psycho-education approach is a Brain-Health Workshop supplemented by intellectually stimulating activities such as doing Sudoku and/or word searches. This approach provides information people may use to inform health behaviour changes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have subjective cognitive complaints
• Be fluent in written and spoken English
• Able to self-identify areas of their everyday lives in which they would like to improve.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of neurological conditions (e.g. dementia, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's)
• Presence of severe depression
• Presence of substance abuse
• History of hospitalization for psychiatric reasons