AWARENESS OF MEMORY DEFICIT IN NURSING-HOME RESIDENTS

This study examined cognitive disorders in 106 nursing home residents: cognitively impaired (31), depressed (19), cognitive impaired and dep ressed (34), and controls (22). Dependent measures were health, recall , and the metamemory components of capacity, change, locus, and strate gy. The mixed group's recall score was lower than that of the depresse d group. The cognitively impaired group's recall score was lower than both the control and depressed group. The capacity and change subscale s differentiated between the cognitively impaired and the mixed group, with the mixed group indicating unstable memory capacity (lessening) and memory change (worsening). The control group's health scores were greater than either the cognitively impaired group or the depressed gr oup; the mixed group's health scores were significantly higher than th e depressed group's scores.