Multiple approaches should be offered to older persons with memory complaints. The availability of diverse options would help fit the needs of a heterogeneous population. An educational media effort to promote the public's understanding of the efficacy of these multiple approaches is needed.

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The Multiple Errands Test (MET) is an ecologically valid assessment that characterizes how executive dysfunction manifests in everyday activities. Due to the naturalistic nature of this assessment, clinicians and researchers have had to develop site-specific versions resulting in numerous published versions and making it difficult to establish standard psychometric properties. The aim of this study was to develop a standardized, community version of the MET designed to be used in large department stores meeting set criteria that would not require site specific modifications. This paper reports on the development, content validity, feasibility, and inter-rater reliability of a Big-Store MET, and the performance of healthy participants on this test. Items were selected to match previously published versions in relation to quantity and complexity. Content validity was established by having experts (n = 4) on the MET review the proposed Big-Store version and evaluate the task consistency with previously published versions. To assess feasibility of administration, and inter-rater reliability, a convenience sample of 14 community dwelling adults, self-reporting as healthy, were assessed by two trained raters. We found the Big-Store MET to be feasible to deliver (completed within 30 min, scores show variability, acceptable to participants in community environment) and inter-rater reliability to be very high (ICCs = 0.92–0.99) with the exception of frequency of strategy use. This study introduces the Big-Store MET to the literature, establishes its preliminary validity and reliability thus laying the foundation for a standardized, community-based version of the MET.

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Long-term disabilities are common among stroke survivors and are associated with reduced quality of life (QoL). Research on occupation-based intervention for chronic stroke survivors is sparse. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of neurofunctional treatment (NFT), an occupation-based client-centred treatment approach, for attaining individualised goals in chronic stroke survivors. A pilot randomised control study with a crossover design was employed. The participants were randomly allocated to treatment or control groups, with the intervention replicated for the control group after three months. Twenty three community dwelling stroke survivors, at least one year post-stroke attending a community day centre participated in this study. The 12-week intervention included NFT with individualised occupational goal setting. The treatment methods included task-specific training, environmental or task adaptation, assistive devices, motivation recruitment, and advocacy. Significant differences between the groups were found on occupational performance measures, but not on QoL. These findings were replicated after crossover for the control group. The results support the efficacy of NFT for attaining occupational goals in individuals in the chronic stage after stroke, yet further research is needed to validate these findings in additional treatment settings and over time.

Help-seekers with SMC exhibited a complex health condition that includes not only SMC, but also objective memory impairment, depression, functional restrictions, negative memory beliefs, low perception of memory abilities, reduced self-efficacy and insufficient social interactions, all associated with lower QoL. This multi-faceted condition should be considered in the treatment of help-seekers. Implications for Rehabilitation Older people who seek help for subjective memory complaints may be facing a larger problem involving bio-psycho-social factors, affecting participation in meaningful activities and quality of life. Quality of life may be improved via treatment of depression, functional restrictions, memory beliefs, self-efficacy, and positive social interactions. Participation in meaningful activities is an especially important target for improving health and quality of life in this population. Interventions for older adults seeking help for subjective memory complaints will benefit from adopting a bio-psycho-social rehabilitation perspective.

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