Cognitive training for elderly patients with early Alzheimer’s disease in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) influences the social and economic quality of life of older adult patients and their families. AIM: To explore the efficacy of cognitive training in clinical nursing for patients with early AD residing in the plateau area. METHODS: This pilot study was conducted in patients with early AD treated in the Geriatric Department of the Qinghai Provincial People’s Hospital between August 2019 and March 2021. The patients were divided into a cognitive training group and a conventional nursing group using the random number table method. Patients in the conventional nursing group received conventional nursing, whereas the patients in the cognitive training group received the new nursing intervention. The mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and activities of daily living (ADL) scales were used to compare the cognitive ability and daily activities, respectively, between the two groups before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Sixty patients were enrolled in this study, with 30 patients in the cognitive training group and conventional nursing group, respectively. The MMSE and ADL scores were significantly higher in the cognitive training group than in the conventional nursing group after the intervention (MMSE: 25.11 ± 2.02 vs 22.26 ± 1. 23, P = 0.032; ADL: 68.72 ± 4.86 vs 60.16 ± 2.27, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: The application of cognitive training in clinical nursing for patients with early AD could improve both their cognitive ability and ADL. This method could be applied in clinical practice to manage cognitive dysfunction in patients with early AD.