Who would benefit from memory training? A pilot study examining the ceiling effect of concurrent cognitive stimulation

Figures & data

Table 1 Demographics and baseline measures

Variables	Group		P value
	CRC N = 15	TC N = 9
Age (Mean ± SD)	77.63 ± 5.91 (67–88)	78.33 ± 5.59 (69–83)	0.363^a
Education level, N (%)
– No formal education	8 (53.3)	1 (11.1)	0.288^b
– Primary education	6 (40.0)	4 (44.4)
– Secondary education	1 (6.7)	2 (22.2)
– University or above	0 (0.0)	2 (22.2)
Living companion, N (%)
– With spouse	2 (13.3)	1 (11.1)	0.633^b
– With siblings	5 (33.3)	5 (55.6)
– Alone with helpers	1 (6.7)	1 (11.1)
– Alone	7 (46.7)	2 (22.2)
CMMSE (Mean ± SD)	24.53 ± 1.92 (23–28)	25.77 ± 3.08 (21–30)	0.169^a
CDRS (Mean ± SD)	119.53 ± 13.01 (93–135)	120.65 ± 7.96 (78–134)	0.765^a

Notes:

a Student’s t-test;

b Chi-square test.

Abbreviations: CDRS, Chinese version of Mattis Dementia Rating Scale; CMMSE, Chinese version of the Mini-mental State Examination; CRC, Community Recreational Center group; PWI, The Personal Well-being Index; SD, Standard deviation; TC, Training Center group.

Table 2 List of modalities in the concurrent cognitive stimulation program received by the TC group

Core treatment modules of the day training center (TC Group)
Activities of daily living (ADL) training Physiotherapy Reality orientation Reminiscence therapy Multisensory stimulation Music therapy Pet therapy Aroma therapy

Table 3 List of the eight-session memory-training program provided to all participants

Topics of memory training
Education on memory deterioration and dementia Memory elements and memory games Memory exercises Mnemonics 1 Mnemonics 2 Environmental awareness Lifestyle redesign Memory aids

Table 4 Results of the pre- and post-training assessment on participants’ cognitive functioning and quality of life

Test	Group	Performance		ANOVA
		Pre-training	Post-training	Group effect	Training effect	Group x training
CMMSE	CRC TC	24.53 (1.92) 25.33 (3.28)	25.07 (3.37) 23.56 (3.84)	F(1, 22) = 0.095, P = 0.760	F(1, 22) = 1.106, P= 0.304	F(1, 22) = 3.814, P= 0.064^b
CDRS
Total	CRC TC	119.53 (13.01) 108.22 (14.96)	124.60 (11.01) 106.33 (16.70)	F(1, 22) = 7.143, P = 0.014^a	F(1, 22) = 1.223, P = 0.281	F(1, 22) = 5.859, P= 0.024^a
Attention	CRC TC	34.13 (2.42) 35.67 (1.87)	34.73 (1.71) 35.44 (2.88)	F(1, 22) = 1.788, P = 0.195	F(1, 22) = 0.207, P = 0.653	F(1, 22) = 0.982, P = 0.332
Initiation/perseveration	CRC TC	27.53 (5.14) 24.00 (6.04)	30.06 (4.81) 22.56 (5.98)	F(1, 22) = 7.238, P = 0.013^a	F(1, 22) = 1.297, P = 0.267	F(1, 22) = 10.027, P = 0.004^a
Construction	CRC TC	5.27 (1.28) 4.89 (1.05)	5.40 (1.35) 5.11 (0.78)	F(1, 22) = 0.503, P = 0.486	F(1, 22) = 1.027, P = 0.323	F(1, 22) = 0.064, P = 0.803
Conceptualization	CRC TC	33.33 (4.86) 29.22 (6.63)	33.27 (4.17) 29.22 (6.65)	F(1, 22) = 3.620, P = 0.070^b	F(1, 22) = 0.002, P = 0.965	F(1, 22) = 0.002, P = 0.965
Memory	CRC TC	19.27 (2.73) 14.44 (4.93)	20.6 (2.85) 14.00 (3.91)	F(1, 22) = 16.854, P < 0.01^a	F(1, 22) = 0.876, P = 0.359	F(1, 22) = 3.506, P = 0.075^b
PWI	CRC TC	44.73 (11.95) 59.61 (8.91)	50.04 (9.39) 54.79 (10.31)	F(1, 22) = 7.471, P = 0.012^a	F(1, 22) = 0.027, P = 0.872	F(1, 22) = 4.140, P = 0.054^b

Notes:

a Statistically significant results, P < 0.05;

b Marginally insignificant results, P ≤ 0.075. Number of subjects: CRC = 15, TC = 9.

Abbreviations: ANOVA, analysis of variance; CDRS, Chinese version of Mattis Dementia Rating Scale; CMMSE, Chinese version of the Mini-mental State Examination; CRC, Community Recreational Center group; PWI, The Personal Well-being Index; TC, Training Center group.