The Feasibility of TECH: Tablet Enhancement of Cognition and Health for Healthy Adults

Assuta Hospital Systems

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy Adults

Treatments: Other: TECH: Tablet Enhancement of Cognition and Health

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02955303

2016009-2

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study assess the feasibility of novel cognitive intervention utilizing tablet apps (TECH protocol: Tablet Enhancement of Cognition and Health) in terms of relevance, adherence, suitable challenges, training time etc. for healthy older adults. Older adults with normal cognition will be randomly allocated to the TECH protocol (experimental group) or the control group (no treatment). Assessments will be administered pre and post the 6-week TECH protocol by assessors blind to group allocation.

Full description

A pre-post pilot study will be conducted. Participants will be referred to the study from 'Maccabi Healthcare Services' by family physicians and geriatric physician of 'Maccabi Healthcare Services Central District'. The majority of TECH protocol training will take place in the participants' home as self-practice. The assessment and weekly group meetings will take place at clinics of Maccabi Healthcare Services in the Central District. A Helsinki approval (#2016009) has already been obtained. Participants will receive information regarding the study and if eligible will sign a consent form, undergo the screening and then the pre-intervention assessments. Then they will receive the TECH protocol, and following the intervention a second assessment will be performed.

Enrollment: 10 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Aged 65 and above.
• Without cognitive decline (score 26 points or above in MoCA).
• ) live independently in the community (as reported by the participants, regarding their independence in BADL and IADL, excluding motor difficulties which are not caused due to neurological conditions or lack of performance with no changes compared to the past.
• Have normal or corrected vision and hearing.
• Speak, write and read Hebrew.
• Able to understand and follow use of the touchscreen of a tablet after initial demonstration.

Exclusion criteria

• Experience severe depressive symptoms (10 points or more in The Geriatric Depression Scale).
• Are diagnosed with dementia, or other neurological or psychiatric condition (such as stroke, Parkinson's disease).

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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10 participants in 1 patient group

TECH protocol

Experimental group

Description:

Daily self-training using tablet apps facilitated by weekly group sessions. The self-training will take place independently at participants' home and will include mostly playing puzzle-apps to train different cognitive components. Participants will be requested to play (and log) various apps three to five times a week for 30-60 minutes each time, for a total of 15-20 training sessions. In addition they will use the tablets for a variety of everyday uses. The individual self-training will be accompanied by five weekly sessions (of 60-90 minutes) in a small group setting (5-6 participants) led by an experienced occupational therapist. For initial learning of the tablet's basic use, an individual session for each participant will take place.

Treatment:

Other: TECH: Tablet Enhancement of Cognition and Health