Authors:

FISH, J., MANLY, T., Evans, J.J., EMSLIE, H. & WILSON, B.A.

Reference:

Year of publication:

2006

CBU number:

6315

Abstract:

Previous studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of a paging system in the amelioration of problems associated with memory impairment and executive dysfunction (Wilson et al 1997, 2001, 2005). In these studies, people with memory or planning problems were randomly assigned to pager-first (group A) or waitlist-first (group B) conditions. Completion of target behaviours was monitored over a two-week baseline period (Time 1), followed by either introduction of the pager for group A, or further baseline period for group B (Time 2), followed by either removal of the pager for group A, or introduction of the pager for group B (Time 3). Here, we examine patterns of response to the paging system according to aetiology, and the moderation of these effects by factors such as age and cognitive functioning. Though all groups show benefits following the introduction of the pager, there are differences in maintenance of said benefits, with larger decreases in completion of target behaviours following removal of the pager for the CVA group than for the TBI group, who overall show maintenance of the pager-related gains. We also examined relationships between baseline performance and neuropsychological test scores, and found that measures of everyday memory and executive functioning had a significant relationship to the real-life measure, demonstrating the validity of the measures used in predicting problems with everyday functioning.