Table 1
Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
| INCLUSION CRITERIA | EXCLUSION CRITERIA | |
|---|---|---|
| Year of publication | Between January 1st 2018 until October 10th 2024 | Before January 2018 |
| Language of the publication | English or one of the main local languages of Switzerland (German, Italian, French) | Any other language than English, German, Italian, or French |
| Type of publications | Systematic/scoping reviews, and meta-analyses; original observational or experimental studies, including quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods research; study protocols | Publications not referring specifically on our target population (e.g., meta-analysis and reviews reporting data from Swiss older adults beneath others, to draw conclusions on the general population of older adults) |
| Participants/population | Mean age of the population is ≥ 60 years* AND the minimal age is ≥ 50 years; age-adapted normal cognitive functioning (MMSE > 27, MoCa > 22); living in Switzerland | Mean age of the population is <60 years OR the minimal age is <50 years; any neurological disease leading to age-adapted non-normal cognitive functioning (mean MMSE ≤ 27, mean MoCa ≤ 22); not living in Switzerland |
| Intervention | Any intervention, program or project related to promotion or prevention of mental health and cognitive functioning: exercise, cognitive training, cognitive-behavioral programs, cognitive enrichment, multimodal programs | Interventions including ONLY pharmaceutical treatment, TCDS, neurofeedback; interventions for rehabilitation; cross-sectional or longitudinal studies showing association between “lifestyle” and mental health/cognitive functioning |
| Outcomes | Mental health, well-being, quality of life, self- and provider stigma, cognitive health / functioning, functional health, and independence | Physical fitness, motor functions, falls, (neuro-) biological marker |
[i] Note. *People aged 60 or over are considered older adults according to the United Nations definition, which is commonly used as a threshold in aging research; MMSE = Mini Mental State Examination; MoCa = Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
Table 2
Overview of scientific studies included in the desk review.
| ARTICLE | NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS | MEAN AGE | TYPE OF INTERVENTION | INTERVENTION DURATION | OUTCOME | STUDY DESIGN | DELIVERY LOCATION | SETTING | SOCIAL INTERACTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adcock et al. (2019) | 21 | 75.69 | Multidomain intervention | 8 weeks | CF (+) | Intervention study (pilot study) | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Adcock et al (2020a) | 31 | 73.85 | Exergame | 16 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Adcock et al. (2020b) | 19 | 71.40 | Exergame | 7 weeks | CF (+) | Intervention study (pilot study) | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Belleville et al. (2023) | 110 | 71.33 | Exergame | 26 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Brasser et al. (2022) | 82 | 71.54 | Multidomain intervention | 5/10 weeks | MH (+), CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Dziemian et al. (2021) | 20 | 69.07 | Cognitive training | 4 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Kipfer et al. (2024) | 22 | 67.40 | Psychoeducation | 6 weeks | MH (+) | Non RCT | On site | Group | Supervised |
| Kliesch et al. (2022) | 61 | 68.40 | Language training | 30 weeks | CF (+) | Non RCT | On site & at home (digital) | Individual & group | Independent & supervised |
| Krebs et al. (2021) | 59 | 71.70 | Transcranial stimulation + cognitive training | 5 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Lenouvel et al. (2022) | NA | NA | Multidomain intervention | NA | MH+ | Position paper | On site & at home (digital) | Individual & group | Independent & supervised |
| Najberg et al. (2021) | 57 | 67.08 | Cognitive training | 3 weeks | CF (+), MH (-) | RCT | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Neumann et al. (2018) | 12 | 70.27 | Exergame | 12 weeks | MH (-) | Intervention study | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Ringgenberg et al. (2022) | 12 | 75.70 | Exergame | NA | CF+ | Qualitative study | At home (digital) | Not reported | Not reported |
| Schättin et al. (2019) | 42 | 67.23 | Exergame | 10 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | On site | Individual | Supervised |
| Schmitt et al. (2023) | 62 | 69.54 | Speechtraining | 3 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Seinsche et al. (2023) | 18 (7 Swiss) | 72.00 | Exergame | NA | CF | Qualitative study | At home | Individual | Independent & supervised |
| Studer-Luethi et al. (2021) | 542 | 71.47 | Multidomain intervention | 5 months | CF (+), MH (+) | Cross-sectional study | At home (digital) | Individual & group | Independent & supervised |
| Studer-Luethi et al. (2023) | 78 | 70.50 | Cognitive training | 4 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Thalmann et al. (2021) | 13 | 80.50 | Multidomain intervention | NA | CF+ | Qualitative study | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Tinello et al. (2023) | 34 | 70.84 | Multidomain intervention | 10 weeks | CF (+) | RCT | On site | Individual | Independent |
| Zuber et al. (2021) | 90 | 64.10 | Cognitive training | 3 weeks | CF (+), MH (-) | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent |
| Belleville et al. (2020)* | 128 | NA | Multidomain intervention | 26 weeks | CF, MH | RCT | On site & at home (digital) | Individual & group | Independent & supervised |
| Brodbeck et al. (2022)* | 85 | NA | Psychol. intervention | 10 | MH | RCT | At home (digital) | Individual | Independent & supervised |
| Ledermann et al. (2021)* | 30 | NA | Psychol. intervention | 8 weeks | MH | Intervention study | At home (digital) | Participant + caregiver/ nurse | Independent |
| Pereira et al. (2023)* | 30 | NA | Psychol. intervention | 5 weeks | CF, MH | RCT | At home (digital) | Participant + caregiver/ nurse | Supervised |
| Van Velsen et al. (2020)* | 315 | NA | Psychol. intervention | NA | MH | RCT | On site | Individual | Independent & supervised |
[i] Note. NA = not applicable; CF = cognitive functioning; MH = mental health; (+)/(-) = beneficial effect/no beneficial effects of the intervention; psychol. Interventions were based on strategy- and process-based principles and includes psychoeducational activities; Articles marked with * are study protocols; all other articles are scientific reports. Outcomes marked with + means that no outcomes were measured but potential effects on possible outcomes were discussed.
Figure 1
Desk review flowchart
Note. *A single article might fall under various exclusion criteria.
Table 3
Information endorsing the selection of groups at risk for vulnerability according to adversity and stigma.
| GROUPS AT RISK FOR VULNERABILITY | TYPES OF ADVERSITY | TYPES OF STIGMA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Older adults in general | Decline in cognitive functions (Brasser et al., 2022; Dziemian et al., 2021; Kliesch et al., 2022; Krebs et al., 2021; Najberg et al., 2021; Schättin et al., 2019; Seinsche et al., 2023; Studer-Luethi et al., 2021, 2023; Tinello et al., 2023; Zuber et al., 2021) | |
| Decline in physical abilities and physical health (Adcock et al., 2019; Adcock et al., 2020a, Adcock et al., 2020b; Neumann et al., 2018; Ringgenberg et al., 2022; Schättin et al., 2019; Seinsche et al., 2023) | Self-stigma (Adcock et al., 2019) and public stigma (Adcock et al., 2019; Neumann et al., 2018) | ||
| Impaired mental health (Krebs et al., 2021; Najberg et al., 2021; Seinsche et al., 2023) | |||
| 2 | Pre-frail older adults | Frailty risk state associated with one or two of the following criteria: unintentional weight loss; weakness or poor handgrip strength; self-reported exhaustion; slow walking speed; and low physical activity (Belleville et al., 2020, 2023) | Public stigma (Belleville et al., 2023) |
| 3 | Mobility impaired older adults | Mobility limitations are usually accompanied by physical and cognitive decline and can be further associated with gait changes, which might be the reason for the increased risk of falling (Thalmann et al., 2021) | Self-stigma and public stigma (Thalmann et al., 2021) |
| 4 | Older adults with fear of falling | Lasting concern about falling that leads to an individual avoiding activities that they could otherwise perform (Lenouvel et al., 2022) | Self-stigma and public stigma (Lenouvel et al., 2022) |
| 5 | Older adults affected by age-related hearing loss | Hearing loss (Schmitt et al., 2023) | |
| 6 | Older adults with chronic pain | Chronic pain (Ledermann et al., 2021) | Self-stigma (Ledermann et al., 2021) |
| 7 | Polymedicated older adults | Multiple chronic conditions (Pereira et al., 2023) | |
| 8 | Older adults developing a prolonged grief disorder | Older adults developing experiencing divorce or marital bereavement (Van Velsen et al., 2020; Brodbeck et al., 2022) | Self-stigma and public stigma (Van Velsen et al., 2020) |
| 9 | Older adults as family caregivers for people with dementia | Physical, emotional, social, and financial challenges (Kipfer et al., 2024) | Self-stigma and public stigma (Kipfer et al., 2024) |