Occupational Therapist-Led Mindfulness Training Program for Older Adults Living with Early Cognitive Decline in Primary Care: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports – January 01, 2023
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindfulness training significantly reduces anxiety among older adults with early cognitive deficits, enhancing their overall well-being. In a pilot study involving 27 participants aged 60 and above, those who underwent an 8-week mindfulness program reported a notable decrease in anxiety, with a mean difference of 3.90 points compared to the wait-list control group. This improvement corresponds to a large effect size (d = 0.80). Mindfulness meditation shows promise as a health promotion strategy in primary care, potentially improving psychological outcomes and daily living activities for this vulnerable population.
Abstract
Community-dwelling older adults with early cognitive deficits experience less efficiency in performing everyday life tasks, resulting in decreased satisfaction and other adverse psychological outcomes. Mindfulness training has been linked to cognitive and psychological improvements and, most recently, has been identified as a potential intervention supporting performance of everyday life activities. This study aimed to evaluate whether mindfulness practice can improve perceived performance and satisfaction with everyday life activity and secondary psychological outcomes. This study is a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) in an interprofessional primary care team practice in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The participants were 27 older adults aged 60 years of age or older living with early cognitive deficits. Participants were randomized into an 8-Week mindfulness training program (n = 14) group or a Wait-List Control (WLC; n = 13) group compared at baseline, post-intervention and 4-weeks follow-up. MANOVAs with post-hoc independent t-tests were used to compare between groups at different time points. There was a significant improvement in anxiety for the intervention group compared to the WLC group at post-intervention; Time-2 (mean difference = 3.90; CI = 0.04-7.75; p = 0.04) with large effect size (d = 0.80). Mindfulness training significantly improved anxiety scores for patients with early cognitive deficits post-intervention. Further work is required to test the sustainability of reduced anxiety over time, but this study demonstrated that MBSR is a promising primary care intervention for those living with early cognitive deficits. This study warrants the pursuit of a future study in exploring how long the reduced anxiety effects would be sustained.