‘Redeemed’ or ‘isolated’: A systematic review of the experiences of older adults receiving a mild cognitive impairment diagnosis

Abstract

BackgroundUnderstanding the experiences of older adults living with MCI can benefit healthcare professionals in diagnosing and implementing early interventions to delay cognitive decline. ObjectiveTo assess and synthesize qualitative research exploring the experience of older adults diagnosed with MCI. MethodsPubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases were searched. Studies involving the experience of being diagnosed with MCI in older adults were included. Thomas and Harden's methodology of synthesizing qualitative studies was used. ResultsEleven studies were included. Three themes were identified: perceived reality of the MCI diagnosis; emotional and psychological responses to the MCI label; coping engaged in parallel processing. Older adults had confusing perspectives on the MCI diagnosis, leading to complicated and diverse emotional reactions and coping measures. ConclusionsThe relationship between perspectives, emotional reactions, and coping methods might be the key for healthcare professionals to break through the early diagnosis and intervention of MCI.