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COGNITIVE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY DIFFERENCES AMONG ELDERLY, CARING FOR GRANDCHILDREN VS. THOSE WHO DO NOT

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Levels of cognition in the elderly vary depending on their health status and mental capacities. A disease like Alzheimer’s will affect that person's cognitive state immensely. Cognition, as it pertains to this study, is the ability to store, recall, and maintain information and action in daily living. When caring for a child, being cognitively competent is a necessity. It is established that with increasing age we see a decline in cognition and physical activity levels. However, we propose that there is a positive relationship between cognition and physical activity levels when providing care to a grandchild. METHODS: We aim to recruit 50 participants, age 65 years or older, who identify as a grandparent. We will divide the group into those who provide care to a minor grandchild at least once a week and those who do not. We will utilize the Mini-Cog test that screens for early dementia and data from 7 days of accelerometry. We will use Pearson correlation measures and t-tests to determine relationships between the two variables and differences between the two groups, respectively. ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Grandparents who care for their grandchildren will have higher levels of cognition and physical activity than grandparents who do not care for their grandchildren.

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