Abstract
Background: It has been reported that Mental Stimulation (MS) has a positive effect on cognitive functions and wellbeing. In this sense, different training activities have been proposed for MS such as theater, learning a new language, playing a musical instrument and computing, however, there are few studies on older adults in Latin American countries. For this reason, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a mental stimulation program (MSP) of computer and Internet learning on cognitive functions and wellbeing in older community-dwelling Mexicans. Method: A quasi-experimental pilot study was carried out in a convenience sample of 27 adults aged 60 to 69 years, without knowledge of the use of computers and Internet, without chronic non-communicable diseases, depression or cognitive impairment. Two groups were formed: (i) experimental (EG), n = 16 and (ii) control (CG), n = 11. The EG participated in an MSP in which 20 theoretical/practical sessions of two hours each were given, two times a week, on computer and Internet. The CG did not participate in any scheduled activity. All participants were measured before and after the intervention program in processing speed (PS), cognitive inhibition (CI), working and episodicmemory (WM and EM), visuospatial processing (VP), life satisfaction (LS) and positive and negative emotions (PE and NE). Results: After participation in the MSP, the EG showed significantly higher scores on the EM and VP tests compared to the CG (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that an MSP of computer and Internet learning improves episodicmemory and visuospatial processing in older community-dwelling Mexicans.
Highlights
Mental stimulation (MS) refers to interventions that promote participation in intellectually stimulating activities to maintain or improve the cognitive functions of older adults
20 subjects accepted to participate in the mental stimulation program (MSP) 20 program (EG, experimental group), of which 4 did not conclude with the program, and 15 subjects were included in the control group (CG) because they did not have time to participate in the MSP, they agreed to be evaluated at the beginning and after ten weeks, only 11 subjects participated in the second evaluation (Figure 1)
Processes related to attention such as processing speed, working memory and cognitive inhibition begin to descend from the age of 30, with a lower variability between individuals, instead, cognitive processes related to memory and reasoning begin to descend to 60 years, with greater variability between individuals [22,23]
Summary
Mental stimulation (MS) refers to interventions that promote participation in intellectually stimulating activities to maintain or improve the cognitive functions of older adults. It has been reported that Mental Stimulation (MS) has a positive effect on cognitive functions and wellbeing In this sense, different training activities have been proposed for MS such as theater, learning a new language, playing a musical instrument and computing, there are few studies on older adults in Latin American countries. Different training activities have been proposed for MS such as theater, learning a new language, playing a musical instrument and computing, there are few studies on older adults in Latin American countries For this reason, the purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of a mental stimulation program (MSP) of computer and Internet learning on cognitive functions and wellbeing in older community-dwelling Mexicans
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