Corporate News

CADENZA Study shows special training can aid reasoning and memory of elderly

09/09/2011

While most people expect their physical and mental abilities to deteriorate as they age, a new study announced today (9 September) has proven that proper cognitive training can help elderly sustain their memory and reasoning abilities. 

The study, jointly conducted by CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors and the Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing (JCCPA), also showed that elderly with low education levels responded so well that cognitive training is now recommended as part of routine programmes in both community and residential care settings.

Designed by the JCCPA, a cognitive training programme known as CogniFitness focused on three functions – reasoning, memory and attention.  For the study, 223 participants aged 65 or above with subjective memory complaints were recruited in 2008 from six elderly community centres in Hong Kong.  Over 75% of the participants had no formal education or only up to primary school level.  Around half of the participants took part in the CogniFitness training programme under the supervision of a trained occupational therapist for 12 weeks, while the rest only took up classes in relation to the prevention of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and mood disorder.

To assess their cognitive abilities before and after the training, the participants took the Chinese version of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (CDRS) test.  Their average CDRS score before training was 120 out of 144, which people with the CDRS score 112 or below will be diagnosed as having dementia.

The study revealed that the less educated elderly people responded well to the CogniFitness in terms of immediate and longer-term training gains.  Their score of immediate training gains was increased by 2.7, nine times higher than those with the same education level but received no CogniFitness training, who only gained 0.3.  Furthermore, they also increased their longer-term training gains by 2.8, twice or more than those without training whose average score increased by only 1.3.

JCCPA Director Professor Timothy Kwok noted that cognitive training was an effective early intervention to reduce the risk of dementia among the elderly.  “We recommend cognitive training such as CogniFitness to be incorporated as part of routine programmes in both community and residential care facilities as a non-drug approach to fight against dementia.  This is because good ability in reasoning and memory is essential for the elderly to live independently in society.  We also suggest that elderly people have the training once a year to sustain their abilities.”

CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors is a project launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust with a donation of HK$380 million in 2006.  The project aims at changing the mindset and attitude of the general public through a range of training and public education programmes.  Cross-sectional collaboration between organisations and the implementation of innovative elderly services and programmes are also encouraged in order to bring about a new mode of elderly care services to prepare for a rapidly ageing society.  Details of CADENZA are available at www.cadenza.hk.

Elderly care is one of the prime concerns of the Jockey Club.  Besides the initiative of the CADENZA project, the Club has also donated HK$81 million to set up JCCPA, operating under the auspices of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong since 2000 and serving over 20,000 dementia patients. It provides integrated day-care services, home-based training and short-term residency for dementia sufferers, as well as support services for their caregivers to help relieve their burden.  The centre has also committed considerable resources to applied research studies on dementia treatment and the effectiveness of different care services.  For more information about JCCPA, please visit the official website: www.jccpa.org.hk

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become one of Hong Kong’s best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city’s major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city’s growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.

Attachment:

JCCPA CogniFitness Study Powerpoint

Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing Director Professor Timothy Kwok outlines findings of the CogniFitness study.
Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing Director Professor Timothy Kwok outlines findings of the CogniFitness study.

Participants Law Tim Yau (left) and Fung Hoi Cheung (right) who joined the cognitive training programme CogniFitness, demonstrate some of the games.
Participants Law Tim Yau (left) and Fung Hoi Cheung (right) who joined the cognitive training programme CogniFitness, demonstrate some of the games.

From left: CADENZA Project Director Professor Jean Woo; participants Law Tim Yau and Fung Hoi Cheung; and Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing Director Professor Timothy Kwok at the press conference.
From left: CADENZA Project Director Professor Jean Woo; participants Law Tim Yau and Fung Hoi Cheung; and Jockey Club Centre for Positive Ageing Director Professor Timothy Kwok at the press conference.

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