Examining the Effect of a Simple Memory Tool

Objective: There have been a wide variety of interventions to assist with cognition and memory of older adults; however, it is often unclear if the interventions have an impact on daily life memory performance and goal attainment. The objectives of this study are to examine: 1) whether an intervention that involves a simple memory tool assists with daily life memory performance and goal attainment of older adults; and 2) whether the intervention has a different effect for individuals with healthy cognition versus individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Research Questions: Can a simple memory tool assist with daily life memory performance and goal attainment for older adults? Does the simple memory tool have a different effect for individuals with healthy cognition and individuals with MCI? Methods: The study will use a mixed 2 X 3 design with cognition (healthy, MCI) as the between subjects factor and time (session 1, 2, 3) as the within-subjects factor. There will be 40 older adults who have healthy cognition and 20 older adults who have MCI. The study will consist of 3 sessions for each participant. The sessions will be held once a week and incorporate: a) the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) to determine level of cognition (healthy, MCI); b) the Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) to help determine daily memory performance; c) a memory recall test for recent daily events to help determine daily memory performance; d) the goals of the participants using the Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS); and e) the development of checklists that are tailored to address goals. In between the sessions, participants will perform the checklists and update the diary with notes of what they want to remember on a daily basis. The hypotheses are that: 1) memory performance (i.e., measured with memory recall of daily events and PRMQ), and goal attainment will increase from session to session; 2) participants with healthy cognition will have better memory performance and goal attainment than participants with MCI; and 3) participants with healthy cognition will have greater gains in memory performance and goal attainment than participants with MCI.