Cognition, aging, and disabilities: conceptual issues.
This article reviews normative changes in cognition that are observed across the adult life span and considers how specific disabilities may interact with aging processes to increase functional decline in later life. Disabling conditions that directly affect the brain are contrasted with those that do not. The goal is twofold: to create a framework for thinking about how cognitive changes, aging, and disability may interact to help explain individual differences in coping, and to promote the inclusion of cognition in a comprehensive approach to assessment and care.
Borson
Soo
S
Memory Disorders Program, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959 NE Pacific Street, Box 356560, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. soob@uw.edu <soob@uw.edu>
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D056344:Executive Function; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011788:Quality of Life; D018570:Risk Assessment; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis