As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), aging presents challenges and opportunities in modern society due to its constant increase in worldwide prevalence and social implications in local communities. Aging is associated with a physiological health decline that, also implying cognitive impairment that may follow a pathological trajectory. For this reason, promoting healthy and proactive aging is crucial, and the main goal of health systems should be facilitating healthy overall from physical, cognitive, and psychological perspectives. Considering mental decline, multiple studies reported that about 40% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented through healthy lifestyles and improving psychological and social well-being, with consequential positive effects on cognitive functioning. From these premises, a new interest has surfaced toward a dimension long investigated in aging studies, i.e., cognitive reserve (CR). CR is defined as a latent construct of brain resilience that helps to preserve cognitive abilities and daily functioning. CR is considered a dimension to compensate for the deterioration of aging, representing a protective factor from pathological conditions, such as age-related mild or severe cognitive impairment. According to the protective role of CR, many data showed significant relationships between the general CR (with a specific role of leisure activities) and the functioning of multiple cognitive domains (e.g., memory, executive functions, language). These results underline how a CR promotion program can prevent and delay cognitive decline, with important repercussions on psychological well-being across different stages of life (from late adulthood to late elderly) and at varying levels of cognitive decline (e.g., healthy ageing, mild cognitive impairment, early dementia, severe dementia). Further theoretical models and empirical research should consider the role played by each CR dimension (education, work, leisure activities) in improving cognitive functioning, also determining its direct or indirect influence on the psychological well-being and the general health state of old people.
THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF COGNITIVE RESERVE FOR HEALTHY FUNCTIONING IN THE ELDERLY / Favieri, Francesca; Casagrande, Maria. - (2023). (Intervento presentato al convegno XXIII Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Clinica e Dinamica tenutosi a Firenze).
THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF COGNITIVE RESERVE FOR HEALTHY FUNCTIONING IN THE ELDERLY
Francesca Favieri;Maria Casagrande
2023
Abstract
As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), aging presents challenges and opportunities in modern society due to its constant increase in worldwide prevalence and social implications in local communities. Aging is associated with a physiological health decline that, also implying cognitive impairment that may follow a pathological trajectory. For this reason, promoting healthy and proactive aging is crucial, and the main goal of health systems should be facilitating healthy overall from physical, cognitive, and psychological perspectives. Considering mental decline, multiple studies reported that about 40% of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented through healthy lifestyles and improving psychological and social well-being, with consequential positive effects on cognitive functioning. From these premises, a new interest has surfaced toward a dimension long investigated in aging studies, i.e., cognitive reserve (CR). CR is defined as a latent construct of brain resilience that helps to preserve cognitive abilities and daily functioning. CR is considered a dimension to compensate for the deterioration of aging, representing a protective factor from pathological conditions, such as age-related mild or severe cognitive impairment. According to the protective role of CR, many data showed significant relationships between the general CR (with a specific role of leisure activities) and the functioning of multiple cognitive domains (e.g., memory, executive functions, language). These results underline how a CR promotion program can prevent and delay cognitive decline, with important repercussions on psychological well-being across different stages of life (from late adulthood to late elderly) and at varying levels of cognitive decline (e.g., healthy ageing, mild cognitive impairment, early dementia, severe dementia). Further theoretical models and empirical research should consider the role played by each CR dimension (education, work, leisure activities) in improving cognitive functioning, also determining its direct or indirect influence on the psychological well-being and the general health state of old people.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
