In Search of the Holy Grail: Predicting and Measuring Functional Outcome in Older Adults
Despite the fact that older adults may exhibit cognitive declines in traditional problem solving and memory, they are often able to function effectively within their “real-world” environments. This observation has led to a surge of interest in the study of age differences in everyday problem solving (EPS). In contrast to traditional approaches to cognition, EPS tasks are designed to assess one’s ability to solve problematic situations that are representative of what they might face in their daily lives. The study of EPS is based upon the presumption of ecological validity, and there is mounting evidence linking EPS performance to important and relevant real-world outcomes, such as ratings of daily functioning, mortality, medication adherence, and self-ratings of physical and mental health. This talk will provide an overview of current directions and challenges in a) capturing a meaningful representation of cognitive aging, b) prediction of relevant functional outcomes, and c) developing reliable measures of functional outcomes for the older adult given the significant variability in environmental demands and support.
Dr. Wendy Loken Thornton is an Associate Professor of Psychology and an Associate member of the Gerontology Department at Simon Fraser University, BC, Canada. Her research involves understanding positive and negative modifiers of cognitive aging, including the extent to which chronic illnesses of adulthood and late life lead to accelerated cognitive decline in community dwelling older adults. In addition, she is interested in the relative and/or potentially additive value of everyday versus traditional cognitive performance in predicting functional outcomes in persons with chronic physical and mental illnesses. Dr. Thornton completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Neuropsychology in 1995. She subsequently completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where she obtained additional specialization in Geriatrics and Neuropsychology. Prior to joining SFU, she was Senior Psychologist in Geriatric Psychiatry at Riverview Hospital, BC.