ABSTRACT

Objective : Dementia prevention program has been applied in Center for dementia by the occupational therapists. We evaluated the efficacy of this program to the elderly non-demented women in senior citizens center for cognitive, physical function and depression. Methods : We applied this program to women subjects from a senior citizens centers in 12 sessions. Cognitive and physical functions and depression were compared between pre and post-intervention with Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), Timed-Up and Go test (TUG), One Leg Standing Test (OLST) and Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form-Korea version (GDSSF-K). Results : We enrolled 26 non-dementia women from four senior citizens centers in Seoul Yangcheon-gu. The K-MMSE improved after the dementia prevention program significantly (p=.00). The GDSSF-K was significantly different between pre and post-intervention (p=.02). For physical function, TUG (p=.02) and OLST in opening eyes were significantly improved (respectively, p=.00 in right side, and p=.00 in left side). OLST in closed eyes were tend to be improved after the intervention, however, they were not significantly different. Conclusion : The dementia prevention program of Center for dementia has proved to improve cognitive and physical function and to reduce depression in the non-demented women from senior citizens centers. These findings suggest that the dementia prevention program that has led by occupational therapist in Center for dementia can be applied other setting in a community.