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Abstract Background Through the process of normal aging, cognitive decline would cause a lower level of functioning in real life. This flow might interfere with health-related quality of life (QoL). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of computer-based cognitive intervention on increasing QoL of elderly people. Methods A total number of 52 community-dwelling older adults participated in this study. This community scored ≥ 21 in the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and a clock drawing test score ≥ 4 from health centers in Tehran, Iran. This study is a parallel group stratified randomized clinical trial. The intervention group received a 45-min cognitive training session twice a week for 10 sessions, using Attentive Rehabilitation of Attention and Memory (ARAM) software focusing on selective attention and working memory. QoL was evaluated as a primary outcome. The control group participated in educational workshops. Results From fifty-two persons, only one participant was excluded from the study in the intervention group during follow-up. Results revealed by increasing cognitive function, improvement occurred in QoL (F = 13.417, p value

Introduction: Depression and cognitive impairment are common mental health problems among elderly, although few studies have examined their co-occurrence in aging population. So the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between depression and cognitive impairment in older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study was conducted on 506 older adults were presented to the health centers of the municipality of Tehran, Iran. Data were collected using the sociodemographic questionnaire, Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Data were analyzed by using SPSS-17 with correlation analysis and logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the participants was 65.71 years. Older people (> 75 years) had more twice risk (95% CI 1.01- 4.90) for cognitive dysfunction. There was a significant correlation between MMSE and GDS. Elderly with collegiate education had 85% (95% CI 0.1- 0.5) and employed elderly had 56% (95% CI 0.04- 0.74) lower risk for cognitive dysfunction. Elderly with severe depression had twice risk (95% CI 1.41- 4.8) for cognitive dysfunction. Conclusion: Findings suggest there is a relationship between depression and cognitive impairment among the elderly. These findings emphasis on assessing cognitive impairment and depression in geriatric assessment in elderly.

Background: Age associated cognitive decline or normal cognitive aging is related with lower levels of functioning in real life, and may interfere with maintaining independence and health related quality of life (HRQL). Objective: In this study, health related quality of life and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults were evaluated with the aim of exploring the association between them by adjusting for potential confounders. Methods: This cross-sectional study, was implemented on 425 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over, between August 2016 and October 2016 in health centers of the municipality of Tehran, Iran, using Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) to assess cognitive function and Short Form-36 scales (SF-36) to assess HRQL. The relation between HRQL and cognitive function was evaluated by Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and the impact of cognitive function on HRQL adjusted for potential confounders was estimated by linear regression model. All analyses were done using SPSS, version 22.0. Results: A positive significant correlation between cognitive function and quality of life (r=0.434; p

Objectives: Diabetes is a common chronic disease in the elderly that affects their quality of lives. As “quality of life” is one of the most important factors and indicators of health, this study examined the “quality of life” in the diabetic elderly people. Methods & Materials: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted on diabetic elderly people living in Kerman, Iran, in 2013. A total of 120 patients were randomly selected with multistage sampling method. For data collection, the demographic and SF-36 questionnaires were used. Then, the obtained data were analyzed by SPSS version 18 by conducting t-test, correlation coefficient, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: The results showed that the mean age of the subjects was 71.5 years. The total “quality of life” score of diabetic patients was 46.48. The elderly showed that the highest mean among the 8 dimensions of “quality of life” in physical health dimension belonged to general health (47.87), and with regard to mental health dimension, the highest score was in social function (49.78). The total score of physical dimension was 44.89, and the total score of mental dimension was 48.07. Furthermore, the results of t-test and 1-way ANOVA indicated that there were significant correlations between “quality of life” and variables of sex, educational level, complications of diabetes, income, age, duration of diabetes, and body mass index (P≤0.05). Conclusion: In our society, no normative standard has been set for the “quality of life.” However, the mean value of 50 with standard deviation of 10 can be an acceptable and standard score for the “quality of life” among the elderly. The mean score of “quality of life” among diabetic elderly people in this study was 46.48 which was lower than our standard. Also, in studying the 8 dimensions of “quality of life,” the mean score of all dimensions was lower than 50. Prevalence of chronic diseases like diabetes among the older people could end in lowering the mean score of physical dimensions as compared to mental dimensions of “quality of life.” Something that was mentioned in the present study, too.The lower quality of life among women could be due to gender inequality in using health system. As a result, the women are more vulnerable to problems as well as mental and physical diseases which decreases their quality of lives. There was a significant relationship between the educational level of diabetic older people and their quality of lives. Those with higher educational level enjoyed a better quality of life. The effect of higher education on the “quality of life” could be due to the people’sawareness of the importance of diet, exercise, proper medication, and control of risk factors of chronic diseases like diabetes. Furthermore,he higher education could increase quality of life through promotion of social class, increasing income, and self-esteem. Also, the people with higher education, armed with their health knowledge and using self-care methods provide the grounds for increasing their quality of lives.As regards the increasing rate of diabetic patients in ageing population and considering that chronic diseases affect and lower physical and mental aspects of “quality of life” in older people, and in line with improving the “quality of life” in these people, we suggest that policymakers and authorities pay proper attention to physical, mental, and social support of this group.

Background: Cognition, a quite complicated skill, is the base of all goal- directed functions of human beings. The impact of cognitive disorders on the functioning of neurologic and psychiatric patients could not be more emphasized. Thus, careful assessment of cognitive capacity to predict how well these kinds of patient will function seems to be necessary. Allen cognitive level screen (ACL) provides a quick estimate of current capacity to learn and remained abilities of patients with cognitive impairments. Materials & Methods: In this analytical- descriptive study, cognitive levels of 30 inpatients and 30 outpatients with schizophrenia as well as 30 normal subjects were evaluated and subsequently were compared using ACLS. The impact of demographic variables on cognitive level was also determined. Results were statistically analyzed through Pearson correlation and one-way ANOVA. Results: Statically significant difference was found between ACL scores of normal people and patient groups (P < 0.001). There was also a difference between ACL scores of outpatients and inpatients with schizophrenia (P < 0.001). Cognitive level was shown to have a positive correlation with education(r = 0.545), illness-onset age (r = 594) and a negative correlation with length of illness (r = -0.574), period of institutionalization (r = -0.454). There was no significant correlation between cognitive level and demographic variables in normal group. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that normal group’s cognition level was higher than schizophrenic patients and that the cognitive level of outpatients was better than inpatients. Illness onset age, period of institutionalized, length of illness and education all can influence cognitive level of schizophrenic patients. Keywords: Schizophrenia disease, Cognitive level, Allen Cognitive Level Screening

چکیدهمقدمه: با توجه به مشكلات بيماران اسكيزوفرني در انجام مهارت‌هاي زندگي،ارزشيابي مهارت‌هاي زندگي در اين بيماران ضروري به نطر مي‌رسد. بر اين اساس، ارزيابي مهارت‌هاي زندگي Kohlman كه در سال 1978 توسط Linda Thomson Kohlman در سياتل ايالت واشنگتن طرح‌ريزي شد، به فارسي برگردانده، پايايي و روايي آن در بيماران اسكيزوفرني تهران بررسي گرديد. مواد و روش‌ها: اين پژوهش به شيوه مقطعي توصيفي- تحليلي انجام شد و پايايي بازآزمایی، پايايي بين ارزيابان، روايي همزمان و روايي سازه آزمون بررسي گردید. به اين منظور 105 بيمار اسكيزوفرني سرپايي، 35 بيمار اسكيزوفرني بستري و 35 نفر از افراد سالم جامعه مورد ارزيابي قرار گرفتند. یافته‎ها: مقايسه نمرات حاصل از ارزيابي دو آزمونگر در 30 بيمار سرپايي (997/0 = r) و نتايج حاصل از تكرار آزمون در 24 بيمار سرپايي (967/0 = r) نشان داد كه آزمون از پايايي مناسب برخوردار است. روايي همزمان از طريق محاسبه همبستگي بين نمره آزمون Kohlman و آزمون مقياس ارزيابي كلي در 35 بيمار بستري تعيين شد (86/0- = r). توانايي تمايز مهارت‌هاي زندگي افراد سالم از بيمار، نشان دهنده روايي سازه آزمون مهارت‌هاي زندگي Kohlman است. بحث: آزمون مهارت‌هاي زندگي Kohlman كه طي اين پژوهش مورد بررسي و بازبيني قرار گرفت، از پايايي و روايي لازم در جمعيت بيماران اسكيزوفرني تهران برخوردار است. کلید واژه‌ها: اسكيزوفرني، مهارت‌هاي زندگي، پايايي، روايي.