Introduction:

Aging often progresses with the deterioration of intellectual functions, which include memory loss.

Objectives:

Assess the cognitive ability of a group of elderly people, before and after, attending a cognitive stimulation program.

Methods:

Cross-sectional exploratory study with a sample of 25 elderly people, aged between 65 and 76 years. Of these, 4 are male and 21 are female. The Mini Mental State Examination scale was applied at the beginning. and at the end of the implementation of the project “Envelhecer Ativa’mente”, to monitor participants' cognitive functions, before and after attending a cognitive stimulation program.

Results:

The assessment of cognitive functions showed improvement in evocation function. Equal scores were obtained, for the two moments of evaluation, in the function’s orientation and attention and calculation. Equal scores were obtained, for the two moments of evaluation, in orientation, attention and calculation functions. In the remaining cognitive functions, there were no significant changes.

Conclusions:

The results show clinical gains, considering that it is essential to continue the cognitive stimulation intervention plan. It is a challenge to continue the project and expand the target group to all people aged 65 and over, in the municipality of Tarouca, in order to improve and maintain the cognitive and functional capacity of the elderly.

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