Broad spectrum intervention and the remediation of prospective memory declines in the able elderly

Prospective memory refers to the ability to remember to carry out activities in the future. Examples of prospective memory include remembering to take one's medication, attend an appointment or to pay one's bills. Few studies have addressed the remediation of prospective memory in the elderly despite the fact that adaptive prospective memory ability has a significant impact on daily functioning. Sixty-eight able elderly participated in a pilot study of a seven-session workshop designed to enhance memory functioning. Broad spectrum interventions included psychoeducation regarding the impact of mood on memory, relaxation training, behavior modification and cognitive restructuring of automatic thoughts. Participants also learned memory strategies which focused on information organizing and internal rehearsal. Use of these memory strategies as an alternative and complement to reliance on external memory strategies was repeatedly emphasized. A repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that prospective memory performance improved from pre- to post-testing (F(1,65)=10.05, p<0.01). No differences were observed between a group employing ecologically valid stimuli and another using laboratory-generated stimuli. Age-associated declines in prospective memory are potentially reversible; however, the full impact of the current intervention would need to be more thoroughly investigated in future studies with an adequate wait-list control group and attention to practice effects.