Decision-Making Abilities and Testamentary Capacity Among Older Adults
Purpose
The overall goal of this research is to examine factors such as social resources, personality characteristics, and neurocognitive functioning in relation to decision-making abilities testamentary capacity among healthy older adults.
Another purpose of this research study is to evaluate the impact of Problem-Solving Treatment-Primary Care (PST-PC), a cognitive-behavioral therapeutic approach, on decision making among healthy older adults. PST-PC involves a seven-step model, in which participants identify problems to be solved, discuss and evaluate different resolutions to reach desired goals; create action plans to accomplish determined goals; and evaluate their effectiveness in resolving designated problems.
We will compare the effectiveness of PST-PC on individuals who will not receive any intervention.
A no treatment control group of older adult participants will also be recruited to compare the effectiveness of PST-PC to individuals who do not receive the intervention. This no treatment control group will composed of participants who do not receive the PST-PC sessions.
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Inclusion Criteria:
- adults aged 65 and older
- Must be independently-living and community-dwelling
- Participants must be willing to undergo a health interview to rule out outstanding medical and psychiatric conditions
- Adequate sensory abilities
Exclusion Criteria:
- A history of psychiatric illness necessitating inpatient treatment
- Participants with self-reported depression and/or anxiety exceeding mild levels of clinical severity