Intervenções cognitivas: o efeito do treinamento de memória na qualidade de vida em indivíduos 60+

Abstract

Introduction: Population aging is a global challenge that has stimulated a variety of studies and research in different areas of knowledge. One of the main complaints observed in this age group is related to memory, which directly affects the elderly person's life. Regarding the effects of age on cognitive performance, it is observed that short-term memory, in particular working memory, is the most affected due to its reduced storage capacity. Cognitive impairment causes a series of difficulties in daily activities in senescence, including obstacles in social life. Memory training, therefore, plays an important role when aiming to improve cognitive functioning. Method: Inclusion criteria were established for the selection of articles, which included: being an original article, addressing the guiding research question, being available electronically in full text form and having as study population elderly people over 60 years of age without diagnosis of cognitive impairment. After selection, 17 articles met these criteria. The analysis revealed that memory stimulation in elderly people without cognitive impairment can result in improvements in performance in advanced instrumental and basic activities of daily living, as well as in the psychological, social aspects and quality of life of these elderly people. Results: The initial search found articles from the LILACS, MEDLINE, SCIELO and IBECS databases. The articles researched sought the effect of on elderly people. Conclusion: It was identified that memory stimulation in elderly people without cognitive impairment can result in improvements in the performance of advanced, instrumental and basic activities of daily living, as well as in the psychological, social aspects and quality of life of these elderly people.