Development of an online cognitive training program for healthy older adults: an occupational therapy intervention

Abstract

Introduction: Based on natural aging and its characteristics regarding cognition and the specificities of Occupational Therapy, cognitive training is a health promotion strategy used to favor engagement in occupations and, mainly, improve or maintain cognitive skills, which may decline with aging. Objective: To describe an on-line cognitive training program regarding its format and composing activities, as well as to analyze the perceptions of the participating older people and students involved in its development. Method: This is an exploratory qualitative study. Cognitive tasks were distributed in 24 individual, multidomain, online training sessions lasting 90 minutes each. Activities with pencil and paper were used, and the intervention was adapted and graded according to the rhythm of the participants. The 21 older people who received the training were evaluated pre and post-intervention using semi-structured interviews, and field diaries were prepared. Results: The older participants reported having made use of different internal and external compensatory strategies and indicated improvement in their quality of life perception and occupational performance. The students were able to get involved in the construction of a protocol during the pandemic period, overcoming barriers in the context of remote assistance, which was used to maintain or improve the functional and cognitive performance of the participants, thus favoring healthy aging. Conclusion: The results showed that cognitive training had a positive impact on the participants, but there is still a need to refine the protocol to achieve better results. The analysis of the activities conducted proved to be fundamental to systematize the sessions and monitor the performance of the participants.