Cognitive rehabilitation in the elderly: an evaluation of psychosocial factors

In this study, we report changes in psychosocial function in two groups of older adults that participated in the experimental trial of our cognitive rehabilitation program. The results, based on tests that measured a range of psychosocial attributes, showed that, following training, participants improved in terms of overall well-being, as well as in specific areas that included perceived happiness, coping strategies, and quality of life. An important finding was that improvements were also observed in long-term follow-up testing. Both groups benefited from training, but the effect was greater in the group that received training before undergoing a control procedure. The results, which show that the benefits of our rehabilitation program extend into the psychosocial domain, underscore the potentially important relationship between psychosocial factors and cognitive performance in older adults.