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Attentional demands and daily functioning among community-dwelling elders.
1Adult Health Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004, USA. jansenda@uwec.edu
Journal of Community Health Nursing
|February 1, 2006
Summary
High attentional demands negatively impact elders' ability to manage daily tasks. Reducing these demands can improve functioning in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Nursing Science
Background:
- Everyday life presents numerous attentional demands that can impair cognitive function.
- For older adults, factors like transportation, sensory loss, and health concerns exacerbate attentional challenges, hindering task completion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between attentional demands and the capacity of community-dwelling elders to manage daily activities requiring concentration.
- To determine if attentional demands predict difficulties in daily functioning among older adults.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 54 community-dwelling elders (34 women, 20 men) assessed attentional demands and perceived daily functioning.
- Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between attentional demands and functional abilities.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation (r = -.58) was found between attentional demands and daily functioning.
- Elders reporting higher attentional demands experienced greater difficulty with concentration-requiring tasks.
- Attentional demands explained 12% of the variance in functioning, independent of depressive symptoms and health status.
Conclusions:
- The study confirms a significant link between attentional demands and daily functioning in older adults.
- Findings support the development of nursing interventions focused on mitigating attentional demands to enhance elder functioning.