The effect of perceived forgetfulness on quality of life in older adults; a qualitative review.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Approximately 50% of older individuals perceive themselves as being forgetful.

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this review is to get an overview of previous research on the relation between perceived forgetfulness (in the absence of objective memory deficit) and quality of life in older individuals. Findings in previous research might be a starting point for further research and possible future interventions.

METHODS:
Scientific papers that investigated the relation between subjective memory complaints and quality of life were searched. Two independent raters scored the articles on their methodology. The methodological quality was taken into account when conclusions were drawn.

RESULTS:
The literature search resulted in 682 articles, of which five studies met the inclusion criteria. Although the five studies differed in their methodology, the findings of the methodologically adequate studies show a relation between memory complaints and a diminished quality of life in the elderly.

CONCLUSIONS:
The negative impact that subjective memory complaints can have on quality of life makes it important to acknowledge forgetfulness as a serious issue in the life of older individuals. However, more research is needed to explore the relationship between subjective memory complaints and quality of life, also with regard to the influence of depression and objective memory performance.Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills

Author information

Author/s: Mol, Martine (M); Carpay, Margot (M); Ramakers, Inez (I); Rozendaal, Nico (N); Verhey, Frans (F); Jolles, Jelle (J);

Affiliation: Brain and Behaviour Institute, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Netherlands.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Review

Journal: International journal of geriatric psychiatry (Int J Geriatr Psychiatry), published in England. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-May; vol 22 (issue 5) : pp 393-400

Dates: Created 2007/05/07; Completed 2007/12/12;

PMID: 17044138, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Amnesia - psychology
Attitude to Health

Attitude to Health
Humans
Quality of Life - psychology
Self Concept

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

See 100+ related articles.