TY - JOUR
T1 - Compensation Strategies in Older Adults
T2 - Association With Cognition and Everyday Function
AU - Tomaszewski Farias, Sarah E
AU - Schmitter-Edgecombe, Maureen
AU - Weakley, Alyssa
AU - Harvey, Danielle J
AU - Denny, Katherine
AU - Barba, Cheyanne
AU - Gravano, Jason T.
AU - Giovannetti, Tania
AU - Willis, Sherry
PY - 2018/5/1
Y1 - 2018/5/1
N2 - Background/Rationale: Compensation strategies may contribute to greater resilience among older adults, even in the face of cognitive decline. This study sought to better understand how compensation strategy use among older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment impacts everyday functioning. Methods: In all, 125 older adults (normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, dementia) underwent neuropsychological testing, and their informants completed questionnaires regarding everyday compensation and cognitive and functional abilities. Results: Cognitively normal and mild cognitive impairment older adults had greater levels of compensation use than those with dementia. Higher levels of neuropsychological functioning were associated with more frequent compensation use. Most importantly, greater frequency of compensation strategy use was associated with higher levels of independence in everyday function, even after accounting for cognition. Conclusion: Use of compensation strategies is associated with higher levels of functioning in daily life among older adults. Findings provide strong rational for development of interventions that directly target such strategies.
AB - Background/Rationale: Compensation strategies may contribute to greater resilience among older adults, even in the face of cognitive decline. This study sought to better understand how compensation strategy use among older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment impacts everyday functioning. Methods: In all, 125 older adults (normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, dementia) underwent neuropsychological testing, and their informants completed questionnaires regarding everyday compensation and cognitive and functional abilities. Results: Cognitively normal and mild cognitive impairment older adults had greater levels of compensation use than those with dementia. Higher levels of neuropsychological functioning were associated with more frequent compensation use. Most importantly, greater frequency of compensation strategy use was associated with higher levels of independence in everyday function, even after accounting for cognition. Conclusion: Use of compensation strategies is associated with higher levels of functioning in daily life among older adults. Findings provide strong rational for development of interventions that directly target such strategies.
KW - compensation
KW - dementia
KW - everyday function
KW - instrumental activities of daily living
KW - mild cognitive impairment
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85044734532&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1177/1533317517753361
DO - 10.1177/1533317517753361
M3 - Article
C2 - 29357670
AN - SCOPUS:85044734532
VL - 33
SP - 184
EP - 191
JO - American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias
JF - American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias
SN - 1533-3175
IS - 3
ER -