Background:
Often, people who are diagnosed early in dementia do not have opportunities to have their concerns addressed or to gain control over their situation. An understanding of the nature of chronic disease suggests that it is better to help people with dementia make lifestyle changes to prevent potential problems at the onset stage of the disease rather than attempting to change behaviors after cognition has declined. Recently, a health promoting course has been developed, and the preliminary results are encouraging.
Objectives:
This is a pilot study to prepare the materials and procedures for intervention for persons with early stages in dementia. The study will start and prepare for a comparison of the relative benefits of courses in health promotion and cognitive training by examining their impact in comparison to a control group and by comparing them to each other.
Hypothesis:
We expect it to be possible to translate and modify the materials that are available in English and that the courses can be adapted to an Israeli population. It is hypothesized that the health promotion course will contribute to enhancement of sense of control, health behaviors change, and decreased depression. The cognitive training course will contribute to memory improvement and decreased depression.
Methods:
The health promotion course will be translated into Hebrew and will undergo preliminary matching to a small group of older persons over the age of 75 in the early stages of cognitive decline. The memory improvement course will be translated into Hebrew, compared with proven methods of improving memory, and integrated into a new course with a similar format to that of the health promotion course. Each course will be taught to a group of persons with early-stage dementia, and the effect on depression, social relationships, health behaviors, sense of control, and cognitive function will be examined.
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