title: Reasoning Exercises in Assisted Living: a cluster randomized trial to improve reasoning and everyday problem solving.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Assisted living (AL) residents are at risk for cognitive and functional declines that eventually reduce their ability to care for themselves, thereby triggering nursing home placement. In developing a method to slow this decline, the efficacy of Reasoning Exercises in Assisted Living (REAL), a cognitive training intervention that teaches everyday reasoning and problem-solving skills to AL residents, was tested.
  
  
  METHODS
  At thirteen randomized Midwestern facilities, AL residents whose Mini Mental State Examination scores ranged from 19-29 either were trained in REAL or a vitamin education attention control program or received no treatment at all. For 3 weeks, treated groups received personal training in their respective programs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Scores on the Every Day Problems Test for Cognitively Challenged Elders (EPCCE) and on the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS) showed significant increases only for the REAL group. For EPCCE, change from baseline immediately postintervention was +3.10 (P<0.01), and there was significant retention at the 3-month follow-up (d=2.71; P<0.01). For DAFS, change from baseline immediately postintervention was +3.52 (P<0.001), although retention was not as strong. Neither the attention nor the no-treatment control groups had significant gains immediately postintervention or at follow-up assessments. Post hoc across-group comparison of baseline change also highlights the benefits of REAL training. For EPCCE, the magnitude of gain was significantly larger in the REAL group versus the no-treatment control group immediately postintervention (d=3.82; P<0.01) and at the 3-month follow-up (d=3.80; P<0.01). For DAFS, gain magnitude immediately postintervention for REAL was significantly greater compared with in the attention control group (d=4.73; P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  REAL improves skills in everyday problem solving, which may allow AL residents to maintain self-care and extend AL residency. This benefit is particularly important given the growing population of AL residents at risk for cognitive and self-care decline.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herman
authors.affiliation: The Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies, University of Kansas, Dole Human Development Center, Lawrence, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bontempo
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving / Q000502:physiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: assisted living; cognitive training; functional decline; self-care