Effectiveness of Non-pharmacological Interventions for Dementia Prevention in Elderly Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

The aims of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions program in preventing progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia in patients with mild cognitive impairment in the short term, at Nhân dân Gia Định Hospital, Hồ Chí Minh City.

A non-pharmacological interventions program in dementia prevention is highly promising because: (i) the results of using drugs (e.g. cholinesterase inhibitors) have not been successful, so non-pharmacological interventions may be a promising and risk-free alternative; (ii) people with mild cognitive impairment still maintain memory capacity that allows them to learn and apply new information and skills; (iii) interventions at an early stage of the cognitive decline process will bring maximum benefits; (iv) there is evidence that cognitive training exercises have a positive effect on cognitive decline and are one of protective factors against dementia. Although studies on non-pharmacological prevention programs with cognitive training exercises as a key component are not uncommon, we found that there are still some unclear points. First and foremost, there has been no cognitive training exercises in Vietnamese that has been studied. Most use foreign language communication, making language-related stimuli inapplicable in Vietnam. Next, the exercise design either focuses on improving thinking and flexibility, which is more suitable for younger people, or only prioritizes impacting certain cognitive domains. Finally, many current programs are integrated as technology applications on phones, which, although convenient, are not really user-friendly for the elderly in Vietnam due to habits, operating system response delays, and equipment costs.