Cognitive Intervention for Persons With Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

People with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are at a greater risk of developing dementia. Therefore, it is important to develop effective non-pharmacological interventions to facilitate their cognitive and activities of daily living (ADL) function, which will also prevent or delay their progression to dementia and reduce associated healthcare and social costs. There are currently a variety of cognitive interventions, mainly categorized as remediation and rehabilitation approach. Research to compare their contents and effectiveness is strongly needed. The information can be used to individualize cognitive intervention based on specific cognitive profile of the patient. This study aims to determine the immediate and long-term efficacy of the remediation approach and rehabilitation approach in enhancing the cognitive and ADL function. The research questions include 1) whether the rehabilitation approach compared with the remediation approach has better effects on improving ADL function; (2) whether the remediation approach may only enhance the performance on the cognitive tests rather than on the ADL function. This study will also explore whether the attitudes of caregivers on providing ADL assistance affect effects of cognitive intervention.