Relationship between activities of daily living and cognitive ability in a sample of older adults with heterogeneous educational level

Abstract

Introduction:A number of studies have shown the impact of cognitive abilities on instrumental activities of daily living, in particular executive functions. Nevertheless, it is not clear to what extent these results can be generalized, given that most samples studied have not included people with a low educational level.Objectives:The current study aims to investigate the association between cognitive abilities and activities of daily living in older adults — with and without dementia — from a middle-income country.Sample:The sample consisted of 48 healthy older adults and 29 people with dementia, who were evaluated in an Outpatient Care Unit in a University Reference Center in Rio de Janeiro.Results:Regression analyses indicated that the best predictors for activities of daily living were performance in immediate verbal memory in the case of controls and in a categorical fluency task in the patient group. The educational level itself was not a significant predictor of functional ability in either sample, but showed moderate correlation with the predictors.Conclusions:These results suggest that educational level may be a mediating factor in the association of cognitive variables and activities of daily living, and indicate a potential dissociation in terms of predictors according to the diagnostic status, pointing to relevant treatment directions.

Correlation between Cognitive Functions and Activity of Daily Living among Post-Stroke Patients

“…5 These activities need a good executive cognitive function in order to be carried out. 13 Executive function is essential in planning and implementing basic daily activities, which, unfortunately, cannot be assessed using MMSE. 5,13 There are many suitable instruments for assessing the executive function such as Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, The Trail Making Test A and B, the Stroop Interference Test, and Verbal Fluency Test; however, the translated and validated indonesian version of those instruments are not available yet.…”

“…13 Executive function is essential in planning and implementing basic daily activities, which, unfortunately, cannot be assessed using MMSE. 5,13 There are many suitable instruments for assessing the executive function such as Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, The Trail Making Test A and B, the Stroop Interference Test, and Verbal Fluency Test; however, the translated and validated indonesian version of those instruments are not available yet. 13 MMSE is selected in this study to assess the cognitive functions since it is a tool capable of evaluating global cognitive functions, though superficially.…”

“…5,13 There are many suitable instruments for assessing the executive function such as Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, The Trail Making Test A and B, the Stroop Interference Test, and Verbal Fluency Test; however, the translated and validated indonesian version of those instruments are not available yet. 13 MMSE is selected in this study to assess the cognitive functions since it is a tool capable of evaluating global cognitive functions, though superficially. At the same time, bADL activities that are not as complex as IADL, may be correlated with the cognitive functions if the subjects assessed had a very high dependency.…”

“…This results are coherent with a previous study claiming that using technology, in this case, using telephone and handling finance, correlates with memory function which, in this study, is reflected by the orientation to time and verbal recall. 13 Orientation to time is also essential for a person to make a schedule, and in the case of drug consumption, to make a person responsible for his own medication.…”

“…Even though shopping, housekeeping, laundry, and mode of transportation are included as IADL activities due to their roles in a person's adaptation to his/her environment and social life, they are more likely to be influenced by motor function and executive function. 13 It is clearly shown that these activities are not parts of complex activities which require memory function.…”