Effect of Cognitive Rehabilitation on Cognitive State and Depression of Older Men With Mild Cognitive Impairment Living in Nursing Homes

Aging is a sensitive period in life. Due to the increase in the aging population and the possibility of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depression in the elderly, it is necessary to prevent Alzheimer’s disease in these patients by improving their cognitive status and depression. The present study aims to investigate the effect of cognitive rehabilitation on the cognitive status and depression of older men with MCI.

 This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest/posttest design using a control group. The study population consists of older men aged ≥60 years with MCI living in a nursing home in Kerman, Iran in 2021. Using a purposeful sampling method, 24 eligible older men were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of control (n=12) and intervention (n=12). Evaluation of cognitive state and depression was performed using the Mini-Mental State Examination and the Geriatric Depression Scale, respectively before and after the intervention. Cognitive rehabilitation program was presented at 12 one-hour sessions in the intervention group. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS software, version 19.

The cognitive rehabilitation program had a significant effect on improving cognitive state and reducing depression in the elderly with MCI (P<0.05). 

The cognitive rehabilitation program is recommended as a non-pharmacological treatment to improve cognitive status and reduce depression in older men with MCI.