Implications of a longitudinal cognitive intervention program in mild Alzheimer's disease

The implications of a longitudinal (5 years) intervention program in a mild Alzheimer's disease (mAD) patient targeting mainly the language deficits were investigated. The program had 2 parts: the intensive one included training strategies and tasks that enhanced his impairments (memory, naming, comprehension), and the second one (the next 4 years), without guidelines or teaching. The first follow up (11 months later) showed significant improvements to memory, categorical verbal fluency, comprehension and written narrative ability even to untrained functions (behavior and functional ability). The second follow up (5 years later) showed retained improvement to delayed memory tasks, language and general cognitive state. Long life cognitive programs retrograde the mAD and seem to maintain the independence of the patient and make remote the possibility of the institutionalization.