Volunteering in the Community: Potential Benefits for Cognitive Aging

Guiney, Hayley; Machado, Liana

doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx134

Cited by 58 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…On the one hand, the finding echoes Tomioka et al [ 19 ] who reminded the need to understand the relationship between SP and cognitive function in specific contexts. On the other hand, by acknowledging the complex mechanisms that underlie SP’s influence on cognitive function, this study calls for future studies to test whether there is a gender-difference in specific paths, such as through neurological health or mental health [ 43 ], with more sophisticated research design.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between social participation and cognitive function among middle- and old-aged Chinese: A fixed-effects analysis

Zhou¹,

Shaw²,

Wu³

et al. 2020

Journal of Global Health

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Background Social Participation (SP) is known to benefit cognitive function. However, whether the positive relationship holds across different types of SP and dimensions of cognitive function, and whether the statement stays true in middle- and old-aged Chinese have not been investigated. The present study aimed to understand the current patterns of SP and cognitive function in China’s context, and therefore, explore the associations between cognitive function and SP at different levels from various aspects. Methods A total of 7973 community residents aged 45 years and older were selected from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS, 2011-2015). A fixed-effects analysis was used to explore the association between changes in SP (diversity, frequency, and type) and that in cognitive function (memory and mental status) over a four-year period. Results Changing from no SP to more variety (β = 0.377, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.192-0.562 for 1 type, β = 0.703, 95% CI = 0.470-0.937 for ≥2 types) or higher frequency (β = 0.235, 95% CI = 0.007-0.462 for not regularly, β = 0.604, 95% CI = 0.411-0.798) of SP was associated with improvements in cognitive function. Playing mah-jong and using Internet were associated with improved memory but not with mental status. Sports and volunteering were associated with improved mental status but not with memory. The same pattern was observed in men and in women. Conclusions The study confirmed that more diversity and higher frequency of SP was associated with improved cognitive function, whereas reminded policymakers to consider cultural context when developing target strategies to improve cognitive function.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association between social participation and cognitive function among middle- and old-aged Chinese: A fixed-effects analysis

Zhou¹,

Shaw²,

Wu³

et al. 2020

Journal of Global Health

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“…We have to remember that all our participants (regardless of group belongingness) volunteered to the study. Correlational studies have shown that voluntary work protects against cognitive aging (reviews: Anderson et al, 2014; Guiney and Machado, 2018; Proulx et al, 2018), so we cannot exclude the possibility that any new and voluntary engagement might be intellectually beneficial for elderly people. Overall, our findings do fit well with the research suggesting that post-training gains are within reach of older adults.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Working Memory Capacity as a Predictor of Cognitive Training Efficacy in the Elderly Population

Matysiak

Kroemeke

Brzezicka

2019

Front. Aging Neurosci.

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Aging is associated with a decline in a wide range of cognitive functions and working memory (WM) deterioration is considered a main factor contributing to this. Therefore, any attempt to counteract WM decline seems to have a potential benefit for older adults. However, determination of whether such methods like WM trainings are effective is a subject of a serious debate in the literature. Despite a substantial number of training studies and several meta-analyses, there is no agreement on the matter of their effectiveness. The other important and still not fully explored issue is the impact of the preexisting level of intellectual functioning on the training’s outcome. In our study we investigated the impact of WM training on variety of cognitive tasks performance among older adults and the impact of the initial WM capacity (WMC) on the training efficiency. 85 healthy older adults (55–81 years of age; 55 female, 30 males) received 5 weeks of training on adaptive dual N-back task (experimental group) or memory quiz (active controls). Cognitive performance was assessed before and after intervention with measures of WM, memory updating, inhibition, attention shifting, short-term memory (STM) and reasoning. We found post-intervention group independent improvements across all cognitive tests except for inhibition and STM. With multi-level analysis individual learning curves were modeled, which enabled examining of the intra-individual change in training and inter-individual differences in intra-individual changes. We observed a systematic and positive, but relatively small, learning trend with time. Moderator analyses with demographic characteristics as moderators showed no additional effects on learning curves. Only initial WMC level was a significant moderator of training effectiveness. Older adults with initially lower WMC improved less and reached lower levels of performance, compared to the group with higher WMC. Overall, our findings are in accordance with the research suggesting that post-training gains are within reach of older adults. Our data provide evidence supporting the presence of transfer after N-back training in older adults. More importantly, our findings suggest that it is more important to take into account an initial WMC level, rather than demographic characteristics when evaluating WM training in older adults.

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“…Social participation among older adults across a range of community-based activities including clubs and groups have been shown to benefit sleep (Chen, Lauderdale, & Waite, 2016), cognitive function (Bowling, Pikhartova, & Dodgeon, 2016;Kotwal, Kim, Waite, & Dale, 2016), and mental health (Croezen, Avendano, Burdorf, & van Lenthe, 2015). Similarly, civic participation among older adults across a variety of volunteer activities has been associated with health benefits both physical (Anderson et al, 2014) and cognitive (Guiney & Machado, 2018). While there has been a proliferation of organizations and programs, such as Encore (https://encore.org) and Generations United (www.…”

Section: Active Aging Community Features and Older Generational Agementioning

confidence: 99%

Generational Distinctions on the Importance of Age-Friendly Community Features by Older Age Groups

Black

Hyer

2019

J Appl Gerontol

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In 2006, the World Health Organization initiated an international movement to enhance active aging and the age-friendliness of communities by focusing efforts on the built, social, and service environment. The global model requires soliciting older adults’ preferences regarding community features although findings are typically aggregated across all aged respondents despite mounting distinctions between the generations. This study aimed to examine the differential salience of community features by older generational age groups including Baby Boomers ( n = 639) and Silent and Government or General Issued (GI) Generation ( n = 488) in an age-friendly community in which more than half of its residents are age 50 or older. Chi-square results indicate significant differences across the generational age groups in all domains with the greatest distinctions pertaining to preferences in housing, outdoor spaces, employment, and participation in varied social activities. The perceptions expressed by Boomer-aged adults portend implications ahead for multiple sectors and features of community life.

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Volunteering in the Community: Potential Benefits for Cognitive Aging

Cited by 58 publications

References 44 publications

Association between social participation and cognitive function among middle- and old-aged Chinese: A fixed-effects analysis

Association between social participation and cognitive function among middle- and old-aged Chinese: A fixed-effects analysis

Working Memory Capacity as a Predictor of Cognitive Training Efficacy in the Elderly Population

Generational Distinctions on the Importance of Age-Friendly Community Features by Older Age Groups

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