Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of everyday memory lapses in older adults

Abstract

Everyday memory lapses experienced by older adults (OA) were examined using a daily-diary checklist and retrospective questionnaire. In Experiment 1, 138 younger and 138 OAs indicated the frequency of forgetting of 16 memory lapses, and whether each occurred daily during the course of a week. OAs reported more memory lapses on the questionnaire, but not the daily diary. OAs reported more frequently forgetting names and words, while younger adults had more difficulty with appointments and personal dates. Fewer memory lapses on the daily diary were related to better performance on a laboratory-memory measure for OAs. In Experiment 2, 62 OAs returned for a five-year follow-up and endorsed experiencing more memory lapses on the daily diary compared to baseline, specifically forgetting more names and words, but not the retrospective questionnaire. Daily checklist memory lapses again correlated with the laboratory-memory measure. A daily checklist may be a viable way to assess everyday memory lapses.

Compensation Strategies in Older Adults: Association With Cognition and Everyday Function

“…While data are very limited, previous work suggests that many older adults spontaneously use a variety of compensation strategies. 8 Further, compensation among older adults appears to be a dynamic process; it has been reported to increase with age 9,10 and prior to a diagnosis of MCI, but is less common among individuals with dementia. 11,12 Various types of cognitively based compensation strategies have been identified in the literature as being used among older adults.…”

Association of Combined Slow Gait and Low Activity Fragmentation With Later Onset of Cognitive Impairment

“…Thus, compensation is a dynamic behavioral adaptation that increases with age. 31 , 32 , 33 One novel aspect of our study is that we captured compensation using wearable accelerometry technology in a free-living, real-world environment, which may be well suited to quantify compensation owing to its dynamic nature. Notably, previous studies 19 , 20 , 34 focused on compensation strategies to mitigate memory loss, whereas our study focused on strategies to maintain physical function, which was further supported by conserved cognition.…”

A systematic review of the application of a diary for people with dementia: how to maximise the effect of diary use?

“…A diary provides a timely account of events and allows patients to repeatedly record their feelings and behaviours and convey information that could otherwise be lost to recall or easily forgotten. Compared to questionnaires, diaries are more sensitive to memory decline and have been successfully used to capture memory failures in healthy elderly individuals 14 and people with dementia 15 . In addition to the recording function, sharing memories and reflecting on daily events in the process of keeping diaries have special significance for those with dementia who are experiencing a slow loss of language and cognitive skills 16 .…”