Measurement and relevance of personality characteristics in persons with dementia: a longitudinal perspective

Personality as a moderator of cognitive stimulation in older adults at high risk for cognitive decline

This exploratory study examined the moderating effects of personality traits on cognitive function following a cognitively stimulating individualized activity intervention delivered to individuals at high risk for cognitive decline: those with delirium superimposed on dementia. Data were taken from an ongoing randomized clinical trial with the addition of a personality measure. The results for 71 participants randomized to intervention or control groups are reported. Significant moderating effects of personality traits were found such that participants with higher agreeableness were more likely to have improved delayed recall and those with lower extraversion were more likely to have improved executive function, as a result of the intervention. Lower openness, higher agreeableness, and lower conscientiousness were associated with greater engagement in the intervention. A cognitive stimulation intervention for older adults at high risk for further cognitive decline may be differentially effective based on certain personality traits.

Factors associated with sustained attention during an activity intervention in persons with dementia

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Are the noncognitive factors of self-reported mood and personality related to sustained attention in nursing home residents with dementia during an activity intervention?

METHODS

Intervention data from a randomized clinical trial were used to address the aim of this project. Subjects were 128 nursing home residents who were assessed for mood, personality, behavioral indicators of attention, time on task and number of disengagements during an activity intervention.

RESULTS

More positive self-reported mood was associated with greater behavioral displays of attention during activities, greater time spent engaged in the activities and less disengagement.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first study to report on the association of mood, personality and sustained attention in nursing home residents with dementia. While the findings are preliminary, they can be used to inform the design of future research.

Prescribing activities that engage passive residents. An innovative method

Individuals with dementia are often passive, which places them at risk for further cognitive and functional decline. Recreational activities have been used in research to reduce passive behaviors, but systematic reviews of these studies have found modest effect sizes for many activities. In this article, we describe the further theoretical development of an innovative method for prescribing activities that have a high likelihood of engaging nursing home residents who are passive and present examples for research application and clinical practice. This method may increase the effect size of activity interventions and encourage more widespread adoption of nonpharmacological interventions in practice.