Therapy Techniques for Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

There is increasing concern among people in late middle age about cognitive changes they experience for everyday memory tasks. They are especially fearful that these memory lapses signal the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). For some, the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) represents a transitional state between normal aging and early dementia that precipitates a search for therapies to prevent conversion to AD. The purpose of this article is to describe a continuum of therapeutic approaches for the cognitive challenges experienced by persons with MCI, discuss the growing evidence for promising techniques to address these challenges, and outline a university-based memory strategies intervention program that incorporates several effective strategies.