Wu Rachel, Rodriguez Tania M, Tavenner Bethany P, de Queiroz Isadora Farias Lopes, Boot Walter, Parisi Jeanine, Carlson Michelle, Lövdén Martin, Beier Margaret E, Gow Alan
Department of Psychology, University of California, Psychology Building, 900 University Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA.
Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, USA.
Eur J Ageing. 2025 Mar 24;22(1):13. doi: 10.1007/s10433-025-00852-2.
Healthy aging requires acquiring new functional skills for adaptation in a dynamic environment. Cognitive interventions with older adults have largely focused on improving broad cognitive abilities, aiming for transfer to functional effects. By contrast, interventions focusing directly on acquiring new functional skills can address current real-world issues, including the need for reskilling and reducing the digital divide, especially for underserved communities. In doing so, we may better understand how aspects of age-related learning and cognitive and functional decline may be due to suboptimal learning circumstances rather than senescence. In this opinion paper, we highlight key aspects for designing long-lasting, real-world interventions to improve functional skills, and potentially transfer to cognitive effects, for older adults. This approach could help build more inclusive theories of cognitive aging, while progressing the field toward developing more effective and useful interventions.
健康衰老需要在动态环境中获得新的功能技能以实现适应。针对老年人的认知干预主要集中在提高广泛的认知能力，目标是实现向功能效应的转化。相比之下，直接专注于获取新功能技能的干预措施可以解决当前的现实问题，包括重新学习技能的需求以及缩小数字鸿沟，特别是对于服务不足的社区而言。这样做，我们或许能更好地理解与年龄相关的学习以及认知和功能衰退的各个方面可能是由于学习环境欠佳而非衰老所致。在这篇观点论文中，我们强调了为老年人设计持久的、现实世界干预措施以提高功能技能并有可能转化为认知效应的关键方面。这种方法有助于构建更具包容性的认知衰老理论，同时推动该领域朝着开发更有效、更实用的干预措施发展。
