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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02087137

Functional Impact of a Memory Intervention Program

Normal aging is associated with decline in some aspects of memory, and this can be a risk factor for reductions in everyday functioning. The Baycrest Memory and Aging Program teaches positive adaptation to age-related memory changes, including strategies for minimizing the everyday impact of normal memory change and positive lifestyle change to maximize brain health. Prior research has shown that the Memory and Aging program is effective in increasing participants' knowledge about memory, use of memory strategies, and confidence in memory function, as well as adoption of healthier lifestyle practices and reduction in intention to use unneeded health care resources.

Although not one of the stated goals of the program, informal feedback from participants suggests that the educational content and skills training in the Memory and Aging Program has led some participants to change behaviours in ways that lead to significant improvements in their everyday functioning. For example, graduating participants often volunteer examples of how they have applied what they have learned to succeed in everyday memory tasks such as learning a new name or keeping track of future plans. Based on this participant feedback, it is hypothesized that the knowledge, skills, and confidence gained by Memory and Aging Program participants may lead to positive behaviour changes that, in turn, lead to improved everyday functioning. The present study will test this hypothesis using a randomized controlled pretest-posttest design.

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Key information

Conditions

Aging

Age range

50 year–90 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Baycrest

Toronto, Ontario, M6A 2E1, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age 50-90
  • Available to participate in all testing and intervention sessions (located in Toronto, Canada)

Exclusion criteria

  • health conditions with major effects on cognition, including a current or previous history of stroke, brain surgery, or diagnosed neurological disorder
  • dependence in instrumental activities of daily living
  • cognitive impairment, defined as performance below cutoff for cognitive impairment on a standardized cognitive test, the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (Brandt, Spencer, & Folstein, 1988).
  • affective impairment, defined as performance below cutoff for depression on standardized depression screen, the Geriatric Depression Scale (Yesavage et al., 1983)

Treatment and study plan

Memory and Aging Program

Behavioral

Primary outcomes

  1. Change from baseline in healthy lifestyle behaviours as measured by Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (Walker, Sechrist, & Pender, 1987)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  2. Change from baseline in memory strategy use as measured by the Memory Strategy Toolbox (modified from Troyer, 2001)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  3. Attainment of individualized goals for (a) lifestyle change, (b) memory strategy use, and (c) functional outcomes of memory strategy use as measured by Goal Attainment Scaling (Gordon, Powell, & Rockwood, 2000; Kiresuk, Smith, & Cardillo, 1994)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in positive and negative affect as measured by Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  2. Change in general health status as measured by the RAND 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (Ware & Sherbourne, 1992).

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  3. General Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1995)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  4. Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (Smith, Della Sala, Logie, & Maylor, 2000)

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  5. Self-report health status, lifestyle changes, attitudes about aging

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

Other outcomes

  1. Change in memory knowledge as measured by Memory knowledge quiz (modified from Troyer, 2001).

    Time frame: Baseline, Week 8, week 14

  2. Change in self-perceived memory as measured by Multifactorial Metamemory Questionnaire (Troyer & Rich, 2002)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 14 weeks

  3. Change in prospective memory function (Prospective telephone-call task, Troyer, 2001; actual week, Rendell & Craik, 2001)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 14 weeks

  4. Change in name learning (Name-learning task, based on Troyer, Häfliger, Cadieux, & Craik, 2006)

    Time frame: Baseline, 8 weeks, 14 weeks

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Baycrest

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2014
Primary completion
2015
Study completion
2015
First posted
Mar 14, 2014
Registry last updated
Jan 13, 2016

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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