An Integrative Framework to Guide Social Engagement Interventions and Technology Design for Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Social isolation and loneliness in older adults are associated with poor health outcomes and have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive impairment and incident dementia. Social engagement has been identified as a key factor in promoting positive health behaviors and quality of life and preventing social isolation and loneliness. Studies involving cognitively healthy older adults have shown the protective effects of both in-person and technology-based social engagement. However, the benefits of social engagement for people who are already at-risk of developing dementia, namely those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), have yet to be elucidated. We present a narrative review of the literature, summarizing the research on social engagement in MCI. First, we identified social networks (quality, size, frequency, and closeness) and social activities (frequency, format, purpose, type, and content) as two overarching dimensions of an integrative framework for social engagement derived from literature examining typical cognitive aging. We then used this framework as a lens to examine studies of social engagement in MCI to explore (i) the relationship between in-person and technology-based social engagement and cognitive, emotional, and physical health, and (ii) interventions that target social engagement including technology-based approaches. Overall, we found that persons with MCI (PwMCI) may have different levels of social engagement than those experiencing typical cognitive aging. Moreover, in-person social engagement can have a positive impact on cognitive, emotional, and physical health for PwMCI. With respect to activity and network dimensions in our framework, we found that cognitive health has been more widely examined in PwMCI relative to physical and emotional health. Very few intervention studies have targeted social engagement, but both in-person and technology-based interventions appear to have promising health and well-being outcomes. Our multidimensional framework of social engagement provides guidance for research on characterizing the protective benefits of social engagement for PwMCI and informs the development of novel interventions including technology-based approaches.

A prediction model of cognitive impairment risk in elderly illiterate Chinese women

“…Specifically, the results of our study showed that age was the most important predictor for cognitive impairment in elderly illiterate women. It was also found that the relationship between age and the risk of cognitive impairment was nonlinear, which was in consistency with previous studies (Petersen et al, 2001;Lydon et al, 2022). Zhang et al (2020) found that the effect of age on cognitive impairment increased rapidly among those 80 to 100 years old, which was also supported by our results, as the risk of cognitive impairment was significantly higher in the elderly illiterate females≥83 years with the rate increased year by year.…”

A Pilot Randomized Trial of a Purposeful and Stimulating Volunteer Opportunity

“…These findings are important because a recent narrative review points out that very few intervention studies have targeted social engagement among older adults at risk for cognitive decline, despite research demonstrating the important role that loneliness and isolation play as risk factors for physical, emotional, and cognitive deficits. 31 Social isolation and loneliness are growing public health concerns among older adults. The proportion of people who live alone increases with age, and most women over age 85 live by themselves.…”

“…The platform allowed users to access information and communicate with others via: the program’s videoconferencing website, asynchronous messaging between sessions, and live in-session text chat. Platform design included input from specialists in user-centered design 31 with a focus on icon-based content and a menu of functions to facilitate familiarity and reduce language barriers. The platform allowed for access by 3 user types: administrators (sysops), staff, and participants.…”

Designing for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Panel Discussion

“…She is a Certified Human Factors Professional (BCPE Certificate #1539). Her HF/UX experience with older adults with cognitive impairment has covered the lifecycle of technology development and evaluation, including, (a) qualitative interviews to evaluate user needs for a range of everyday activities (Harris et al, 2022); (b) usability evaluations of a video chat platform for social engagement (Nie et al, 2019) and an integrated mHealth system for hypertension management (Al-Saleh et al, in press); (c) designing interventions to assess social engagement for older adults with and without MCI (Lydon et al, 2022); and (d) design of assistive robots for older adults and their family care partners (Rogers & Mitzner, 2019).…”