지역사회의 치매 및 경도인지장애 독거노인에 대한 인지강화프로그램의 효과

Efficacy of Cognitive Stimulation Program for Community-Dwelling Solitary Elderlies with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

Objective：This study aims to investigate the efficacy of 48-sessioned cognitive stimulation programs (CSP) in solitary elderlies with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. Methods：Among 194 subjects, 125 were CSP participants and 69 were controls. Korean version of Mini-Mental Status Examination for Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS), Global Deterioration Scale, Seoul-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (S-IADL) and Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, Korean Quality of Life-Alzheimer’s Disease (KQoL-AD) were assessed. Outcomes were measured at baseline and after 48th session. we analyzed these collected data. Results：In CSP group, MMSE-DS (p＜0.001), KQoL-AD (p=0.021) were significantly improved compared with their baseline. MMSE-DS was significantly improved in CSP group compared with controls, but KQoL-AD was not (p=0.078). Relative risk (RR) of MCI and dementia in CSP group was 0.491 [95% confidential interval (CI)=0.380-0.633] and that of activities of daily living (ADL) impairment (S-IADL＞8) was 0.873 (95% CI=0.773-0.985). Conclusion：CSP improved cognition and quality of life in solitary elderly individuals with MCI or dementia. Also, CSP reduced relative risk of MCI and dementia by 50.8% and ADL impairment by 12.7%. Although we expect CSP might be helpful to prevent cognitive problems of them, appropriate public mental health programs are still needed for their emotional wellbeing.