Abstract
Aging can lead to functional and cognitive alterations, sometimes limiting older adults in their social development, especially illiterate groups of older adults who receive poor attention from healthcare systems. In this context, the present investigation proposes the cognitive training program "MENTE SANA [HEALTHY MIND]" to improve the cognitive functions of illiterate older adults in Arequipa (Peru). It is a type of quasi-experimental research with a pre-test/post-test design with a homogenous control group. The sample was made up of adults 60 years old and above and of female gender. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to detect the level of cognitive decline in illiterate older adults. The 50-sessions program was applied to all the older adults with mild cognitive impairment that were selected for the study, on a daily basis. It was found that the tested group improved their cognitive functions compared to the control group. These results help to propose adapted cognitive training programs for illiterate people.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 34 |
| Journal | Geriatrics (Switzerland) |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jun 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research has been financed by the Universidad Nacional de San Agust?n de Arequipa according to contract No. TPCS-02-2019-UNSA. We thank the EsSalud Social Health Insurance of Peru for allowing us to carry out the research in the Social Benefits Unit of the Arequipa Network, opening the doors to its Senior Citizen Centers.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 by the authors.
Keywords
- Cognitive decline
- Cognitive training
- Illiterate
- Older adults