Decline in Everyday Functioning in MCI and Dementia

Abstract

Performance of everyday activities requires the coordination of a variety of complex cognitive processes; thus, as cognition changes over time, so too does the ability to perform everyday activities. This chapter will review the extant literature on everyday functioning in healthy aging, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia from a neuropsychological perspective. The chapter first briefly reviews the various terms used to denote everyday functioning and associated difficulties/impairment. It also discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the methodological approaches to everyday function assessment. Next, the chapter reviews reports of associations between overall level of cognitive function and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Studies mapping the relations between specific cognitive processes and everyday functioning also are reviewed. The authors include a discussion of neuropsychological models (e.g., resource theory, omission–commission model) that have been proposed to account for the observed relations between cognition and everyday function. Finally, the authors make suggestions for future research on everyday functioning in older adults.

One Step at a Time: Evaluation of a Step-By-Step Recipe Tool Designed for People with Dementia

“…Although these tasks used to be performed with ease because they are routine and familiar [8], Chevignard et al found that errors occur more frequently as a person with dementia's cognition changes over time [9]. The tasks become too complex because they require coordinating multiple cognitive processes such as object selection, sequencing numerous steps, and perceptual-motor operations [9][10][11]. Therefore, people with dementia's changes in cognition prevent them from successfully executing their daily tasks [9].…”

“…Several researchers [11,19,20] have previously investigated how step-by-step technology can guide people with dementia through daily tasks.…”

“…Furthermore, the studies [11,19,20] focused on increasing people with dementia's independence by letting them execute tasks by themselves. Although this increases autonomy and decreases caregiver burden, it does not contribute to the desire for social interaction by people with dementia [23].…”

“…Without it, due to their decline in shortterm memory [31], clients could not always remember which steps they had already completed or quickly find the current step on the page with multiple steps. People with dementia are still able to (re)learn [6,11], so future research could assess if the person with dementia's pawn use can be improved through practice. Another approach could be using an automated interface that only shows one step at a time [11,19,20] but making it highly intuitive for people with dementia and integrating a way to see the overview of the entire process.…”

“…People with dementia are still able to (re)learn [6,11], so future research could assess if the person with dementia's pawn use can be improved through practice. Another approach could be using an automated interface that only shows one step at a time [11,19,20] but making it highly intuitive for people with dementia and integrating a way to see the overview of the entire process.…”