Background: Neuropsychological functioning and visual working memory are vulnerable to age-related decline. This investigation examines the impact of meditation on the said outcomes for older adults in assisted living facilities. Older adults (N = 136) from four assisted living facilities in Mumbai and Pretoria were randomized into intervention and waitlist control groups.

Method: The Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used as a screening instrument for recruitment (cutoff total index score = 86 ± 4). RBANS, the Simple Object Span Test (SOST), and the Picture Span Test (PST) were used to assess the outcomes. The intervention group underwent a 90-day meditation training complemented with self-practice.

Results: Posttest scores of the intervention group were higher. Older adult men, with college degree, middle class, widowed, in fair health, with no diagnosed psychiatric conditions, who attended at least 70 (out of 90) meditation lessons and who self-practiced at least 70 times, gained more from the meditation intervention. Intervention compliance had the strongest effect on posttest outcomes as well as sex and psychiatric morbidities.

Conclusion: Meditation intervention needs some refinements for older adult women, with high school education, upper class, currently married, in poor health, with diagnosed anxiety/depression/drug dependence, who attended fewer meditation lessons and self-practiced infrequently.

背景：神经心理学功能和视觉工作记忆易受年龄相关性衰退的影响。这项调查研究了冥想对辅助生活设施中老年人所说结果的影响。来自孟买和比勒陀利亚四个辅助生活设施的老年人（N = 136）被随机分为干预和候补对照组。

方法：使用可重复评估神经心理状态的电池（RBANS）作为招募的筛选工具（截止总指数得分= 86±4）。RBANS，简单对象跨度测试（SOST）和图片跨度测试（PST）用于评估结果。干预组接受了为期90天的冥想训练，并辅以自我练习。

结果：干预组的测验分数较高。成年人，具有大学学历，中产阶级，丧偶，健康状况良好，没有被诊断出的精神疾病，参加了至少70堂（共90堂）冥想课，并且至少练习了70次，从冥想中受益匪浅介入。干预依从性对测验结果以及性别和精神病发病率的影响最大。

结论：冥想干预需要对成年女性进行一些改进，这些女性是高中文化程度，目前已婚，健康状况较差，被诊断为焦虑/抑郁/毒品依赖，参加较少的冥想课程且很少自学的成年女性。