Speed of Processing Training for Cognitive Deficits After Delirium in Older Adults.

University Of Alabama At Birmingham, Birmingham AL

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Abstract

Abstract. Delirium, or acute confusional state, affects up to 50% of hospitalized older adults, with the added cost of care estimated to be up to $7 billion. Although originally conceptualized as a transient disorder, delirium is now recognized to have signi?cant consequences, including increased risk of death, functional decline, and long-term cognitive impairment. As less than half of delirium cases are preventable, there are a substantial number of older adults in need of interventions to address the cognitive sequelae of delirium. In this proposal, we will examine processing speed training (PST) as a potential intervention to reduce the risk of developing long-term cognitive impairment after a delirium episode. PST has a well-established history as an intervention to improve the speed and accuracy of processing information in healthy older adults, and has been shown improve performance on timed instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), working memory, and executive function. PST has also been studied as a way to reduce the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and the risk of conversion from MCI to dementia. In this proposal, we will investigate PST as an intervention to reduce the risk of cognitive and functional impairment following an episode of delirium, based on previous successes among the healthy older adult population. This project will build on prior work on PST in the Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly (ACTIVE) and other studies, and would contribute greatly to the treatment of delirium by developing interventions directed at the recovery phase to complement existing efforts focused on prevention and symptom management in delirium.