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La enfermedad de cáncer es uno de los principales problemas sociosanitarios en el mundo. El envejecimiento de la población española unido a las altas tasas de supervivencia de pacientes con cáncer hacen que el número de cententarios en nuestro país aumente. El diagnóstico y el proceso evolutivo de la enfermedad genera situaciones de discapacidad y dependencia en el paciente enfermo que afectan a este mismo, pero también a la dinámica familiar. La familia es uno de los principales sustentadores de cuidado del paciente enfermo, el rol del cuidador principal recae comúnmente en género femenino en primer grado de consanguinidad como así lo avala la presente investigación. Estos cuidadores pueden presentar carga obejtiva y subjetiva en el cuidado del paciente enfermo. La Ley de Dependencia resulta insuficiente en su aplicación y tardía en la concesión de ayudas. La disciplina de Trabajo Social debe ser garante de dignidad en el paciente enfermo y en el cuidador principal, adelantándose a futuros acontecimietnos de necesidades sociales derivadas de la enfermedad oncológica.

Abstract Introduction Ageing entails a series of neuroanatomical and neurophysiological changes in some cognitive processes that directly affect the daily life and autonomy of a person. We believe it is necessary to have tools that assess the cognitive functions that are essential for carrying out daily activities in an independent manner. The aim of this study was to translate the Everyday Cognition Battery (ECB) into Spanish, adapt it to the sociocultural context of Spain, and validate it by testing the psychometric properties, i.e., the reliability and validity of the translated version. Methods The translation and adaptation of the ECB into Spanish was carried out following the method recommended by Beaton et al., the process concluding with a pilot test to ensure that subjects were able to understand the scale correctly. Between March and October 2019, the study population voluntarily completed the translated version of each of the four subscales that make up the battery of tests. The translated version was validated by analysing its psychometric properties, using reliability or internal consistency tests assessed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and validity tests analysed using correlation tables and Spearman’s correlation coefficient. The scale considered to represent the gold standard in the assessment of cognition was the Rapid Assessment of Cognitive Functions (RACF), and to assess Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) this was the Lawton and Brody Index. Results The total study population included 226 subjects, of which 52 participants were excluded, resulting in a study sample size of 174 older adults. The recognition, inductive reasoning and computation span tests showed good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of > 0.827, > 0.836, and > 0.823, respectively), while the knowledge test showed questionable reliability with a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of > 0.615. The validity analysis demonstrated that all the combinations of correlations of the different scales were significantly and positively related to one another. Conclusions The Spanish version of the ECB tool is socially and culturally equivalent to the original version, and both its validity and reliability for assessing everyday cognition in older adults have been demonstrated.

BackgroundAgeing entails changes in complex cognitive functions that lead to a decrease in autonomy and quality of life. Everyday cognition is the ability to solve cognitively complex problems in the everyday world, enabling instrumental activities of life. Benefits have been found in studies using everyday cognition-based assessment and intervention, as the results predict improvements in everyday performance, not just in specific cognitive functions. A study protocol is presented based on assessment and training in everyday cognition versus traditional cognitive stimulation for the improvement of functionality, emotional state, frailty and cognitive function.MethodsA parallel randomised controlled clinical trial with two arms will be conducted. It will be carried out by the University of Salamanca (Spain) in eleven centres and associations for the elderly of the City Council of Salamanca. People aged 60 years or older without cognitive impairment will be recruited. Participants will be randomly distributed into two groups: the experimental group will undergo a training programme in everyday cognition and the control group a programme of traditional cognitive stimulation, completing 25 sessions over 7 months. All participants will be assessed at the beginning and at the end of the intervention, where socio-demographic data and the following scales will be collected: The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), Questionnaire ARMS-e, Everyday Cognition Test (PECC), Scale Yesavage, Test Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), The Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Fragility Index and Lawton y Brody Scale.DiscussionThe present study aims to improve conventional clinical practice on cognitive function training by proposing a specific assessment and intervention of everyday cognition based on the importance of actual cognitive functioning during the resolution of complex tasks of daily life, giving priority to the improvement of autonomy.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov; ID: NCT05688163. Registered on: January 18, 2023.