Rehabilitation of Memory and Memory Self-Efficacy in Cognitively Impaired Nursing Home Residents

This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of the Cognitive Behavioral Model of Everyday Memory (CBMEM) on memory self-efficacy and memory performance of the elderly. Thirty residents from a county nursing home in Northeast Ohio participated. Forty-three percent of the sample were depressed and 57% were cognitively impaired. There were 30 subjects in the experimental group. Class attendance was low (M = 4.48); the dropout rate was 58%. As a result, among the 30 individuals in the experimental group, posttest data were available for only 13 subjects. There were no pre- to posttest differences in total memory performance scores. However, immediate story recall significantly (p ≤.01) increased (M(1) =.67; M(2) = 1.33). The experimental group also made significant gains (p ≤.0001) in memory self-efficacy (M(1) = 35.84; M(2) = 41.87). While the intervention helped these vulnerable individuals improve their memory, future interventions may need to specifically target the problems of individuals with depression and those with cognitive impairments. Nevertheless, there is hope for improvement, as shown both here and in other memory improvement studies, and therefore the efforts to develop effective interventions need to continue.