Everyday memory failures and memory strategies in normal ageing and AD

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Everyday Memory Failures and the Use of Memory Strategies in Healthy Ageing, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Diary Study

• IRAS ID

  262109

• Contact name

  Brigita Brazauskiene

• Contact email

  b.brazauskiene@herts.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Hertfordshire

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 7 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Summary of Research
  This study is about memory and ageing. While age-related memory impairments have often been documented in laboratory tasks, it is unclear to what extent these findings generalize to real-life settings. Indeed, very little is known about ageing and everyday memory failures or what kind of memory strategies people use to overcome their memory errors in everyday life. Preliminary findings, for example, suggest that people vary greatly in the frequency of reported memory errors, irrespective of age, with some participants showing preserved cognitive functioning well into old age. Even less information is available about how people compensate for memory failures in their day-to-day life.

  These questions are particularly important for older adults who live independently as well as for people who have been diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Alzheimer’s Disease. Therefore, this new project will use a novel and comprehensive approach assessing memory failures and compensation strategies in everyday life using several questionnaires and asking participants to keep two diaries: one diary for recording everyday memory failures and another diary for recording the use of memory strategies. After the initial screening telephone conversation, those who are eligible for this study will meet with the researcher at her office or participants' home three times over the two-week period and will also have two brief telephone conversations after completing each diary.
  The results will help us to gain a better understanding of nature and frequency of memory failures in everyday life as well as strategies people use to help with everyday memory tasks. It will also enable us to compare everyday memory functioning in healthy young and older adults, older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and older adults with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.

  Summary of Results
  Unfortunately, we have not managed to recruit any patients with Alzheimer's disease as we did not get any referrals at the beginning and later, due to COVID we had no access to patients with Alzheimer's disease.
  Has the registry been updated to include summary results?: No If yes - please enter the URL to summary results:
  If no – why not?: The study did not commence as planned and therefore there are no results to publish on this registry.
  Did you follow your dissemination plan submitted in the IRAS application form (Q A51)?: No
  If yes, describe or provide URLs to disseminated materials:
  If pending, date when dissemination is expected:
  If no, explain why you didn't follow it: We did not recruit any patients as explained above.
  Have participants been informed of the results of the study?: No
  If yes, describe and/or provide URLs to materials shared and how they were shared:
  If pending, date when feedback is expected:
  If no, explain why they haven't: We did not recruit any participants with Alzheimer's disease diagnoses.
  Have you enabled sharing of study data with others?: No

• REC name

  London - Queen Square Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  19/LO/0799

• Date of REC Opinion

  11 Jul 2019

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion