Making Memory Better for Seniors With Mild Cognitive Impairment

The cognitive training consists of 10 weekly 2-hour sessions. It is run with groups of MCI participants and their study partners (who help with reinforcing the strategies in everyday activities). The program provides information about memory and lifestyle factors in the first two weeks, followed by training and practice over the next eight weeks on empirically-supported cognitive strategies known to be effective at supporting day-to-day remembering in MCI. Participants learn to apply a core set of strategies (spaced retrieval, memory book logging) across a variety of common memory problems (e.g., remembering names, appointments, etc). To enhance the likelihood that these strategies will transfer to other settings beyond training, participants are also taught a memory problem solving approach that will cue them to recognize situations in which they need to: (1) stop and remember something, (2) select and apply an appropriate memory strategy, and (3) monitor that it is working.