A Computer-based Memory Strategy Training Program for Older Adults

September 15, 2025 updated by: LIU Karen, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A Computer-based Memory Strategy Training Program to Promote Everyday Performance in Healthy Older Adults, Older Adults With Memory Complaints, Mild Cognitive Impairment and Mild Dementia

A computer-based cognitive rehabilitation program based on daily tasks utilising the semantic encoding strategies called Enhancing Memory in Daily Life (E-MinD Life) has been developed for Chinese people. The aim of the E-MinD Life is to delay functional deterioration associated with possible cognitive changes in healthy older adults, older adults with memory complaints, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia. This project will pilot-test the E-MinD Life in Chinese healthy older adults, older adults with memory complaints, MCI and mild dementia.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The objectives of the study are to investigate the feasibility and pilot-test the benefits of the computer-based E-MinD Life (Semantic) program to promote everyday performance in healthy older adults, older adults with memory complaints, mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia in Hong Kong using a randomised control trial.

Three groups of participants will be recruited: (1) 15 healthy older adults, (2) 15 older adults aged over 65 years with memory complaints, or older adults aged over 65 years, meeting the diagnostic criteria for MCI with a Clinical Dementia Rating score of 0 or having mild dementia with a Clinical Dementia Rating score of 1. All participants will have no depression and other clinical conditions that may affect their cognition. Their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment will be recorded. Their carers or family members are invited to participate.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

60

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Group 1: healthy older adults aged 65 years or above Group 2: older adults aged 65 years or above with memory complaints Group 3: older adults aged 65 or above with mild cognitive impairment

Exclusion Criteria (for all groups 1, 2 and 3)

- have depression and other clinical conditions that may affect their cognition.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: E-MinD Life Semantic
Participants receive the E-MinD Life (Semantic) programme.
Behavioral: E-MinD Life Semantic
The E-MinD Life programme is designed to teach semantic memory strategies. The memory strategies are applied to 12 common daily activities required for community living, e.g. meal preparation, laundry activities, and built into the E-MinD Life programme on a computer-based platform. The intervention runs over 9 weeks with one 45-minute individual face-to-face or online healthcare-professional-led session and two 30-minute, family-assisted home sessions per week. During the home sessions, participants will complete the same activities as those learnt during the healthcare-professional-led sessions. Family members or carers will be invited to join the healthcare-professional-led sessions as observers and support the participants in the home sessions if needed.
Active Comparator: Cognitive stimulation
Participants will receive cognitive stimulation.
Behavioral: Cognitive stimulation
Participants will receive stimulation for visual attention and memory through activities such as playing a game that requires them to find missing pieces, and auditory attention and memory through activities such as remembering a song. The intervention will adopt a similar structure as the E-MinD Life Semantic group, with one 45-minute individual face-to-face or online healthcare-professional-led session and two 30-minute, family-assisted home sessions per week for 9 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Accceptability
Time Frame: End of the intervention at 9 weeks
Acceptability is measured using a structured questionnaire divided into five sections: (1) the therapist-led group sessions, (2) the self-administered individual sessions, and (3) the computer program interface and iPad usability, (4) the overall program design and structure and (5) overall satisfaction. Participants are invited to give quantitative ratings on four dimensions under each section: (a) perceived effectiveness (e.g., whether the program improved cognitive strategy use), (b) relevance (e.g., how applicable the activities were to daily life), (c) convenience (e.g., ease) and (d) clarity. Responses are collected using a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 "Completely disagree" to 4 "Completely agree," with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
End of the intervention at 9 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility by measuring the attendance rate
Time Frame: Through the intervention for 9 weeks, attendance at each session
Feasibility by measuring the intervention attendance rate
Through the intervention for 9 weeks, attendance at each session
Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease - Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (CERAD-NAB)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
The CERAD-NAB provides a profile on cognitive function by assessing cognitive deficits and was validated in a Chinese version. This study will use all subtests, including Verbal Fluency (J1), Boston's Naming (J2), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE, J3), Word List Memory (J4), Constructional Praxis (J5), Word List Recall (J6), Word List Recognition (J7) and Recall of Constructional Praxis (J8). The total score ranges from 0 -115 with a higher score indicating better performance.
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
Digit Span Test
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
The Digit Span Test consists of Digit Span Forward (DSF) and Digit Span Backward (DSB), measures immediate verbal recall, attentional capacity and working memory. The score is the number of digits in the longest successfully recalled sequence. A higher score indicates a better performance.
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
The self-reported Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale-Chinese version (IADLS) assesses one's ability to independently perform eight domains of instrumental daily activities such as meal preparation, laundry work, and shopping. The scale consists of nine items, each rated on a 3-point or 4-point scale, with a total score ranging from 0 to 18 or higher. A higher score indicates a better performance
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
The Chinese version of the Disability Assessment for Dementia (DAD) is a survey, completed by a proxy/carer, that evaluates the level of independence in daily activities for a person who has dementia or cognitive impairment. The DAD is scored based on a "yes/no" system, where "yes" indicates the person performed the activity without help, and "no" indicates they did not. The number of "yes" responses is totalled, and then converted to a percentage score out of 100. Higher percentage scores indicate better functional ability.
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
EuroQoL- 5 Dimensions - 5 Levels Hong Kong version (EQ-5D-5L_HK)
Time Frame: From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks
The EQ-5D-5L HK measures health-related quality of life in five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, using five rating levels (33). The 5-level health status is converted to a utility value, ranging from 0 (death) to 1 (full health). The EQ-5D-5L HK includes a Visual Analogue Scale where respondents rate their overall health on a scale of 0 to 100.
From enrollment to the end of intervention at 9 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Karen Liu, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 18, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 18, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

June 26, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

September 19, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 15, 2025

Last Verified

June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • HongKongPU_E-MinD Life Semanti

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

The project is applying for external funding. The IPD will not be shared at this stage.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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