In the United States, a group of researchers concerned about the health of people with mild cognitive impairment and dementia in the early stages, decided to test the benefits they could obtain if they participated in what is called ‘Memory Club’.
The aim of these clubs is to stimulate the mental activity and social interaction of their members . In the study that they designed and that has been published recently in the journal Activities, Adaptation & Aging (2014), a total of 55 people with a mild impairment of cognitive functions participated, who attended one of four memory clubs located in different states Americans.
In these ‘Memory Clubs’ activities are offered for a whole year that are aimed both at promoting light physical exercise and, more importantly, at memory training through different strategies.
The results of this pilot study showed that the people who participated in the ‘Memory Club’ improved their executive functions and managed to maintain their scores in several of the memory tests used.
However, the statistical analyzes found differences between the four centers , that is, in some of the clubs, the participants improved more than in others.
Although more research is needed on these types of services, the authors conclude that these clubs could be an effective non-drug alternative for memory maintenance in people with an initial loss of this cognitive ability.
Marisa Fernández, Senior Neuropsychologist, Unobrain
