Finding New Signs of Hope in Cognitive Ageing

Professor Rose Lin Sin-yi | Assistant Professor, School of Nursing, University of Rochester
PhD in Nursing 2022, School of Nursing, The University of Hong Kong

My research centres on how emotional well-being interacts with cognitive decline among older adults, especially those at risk for dementia. Working with my supervisors Professor Doris Yi Sau-fung, Professor Polly Li Wai-chi and Professor Patsy Chau Pui-hing while I was at HKU, I focused my dissertation on developing an empowerment-based psychobehavioral intervention to enhance emotional well-being among older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a transitional stage between normal ageing and dementia.

Through this study, I came to understand that ineffective stress coping can amplify both emotional distress and cognitive risk and that being aware of these cognitive losses and fear of future decline can lead to feelings of uncertainty and impaired self-esteem. These valuable insights have directly shaped my commitment to developing interventions that promote stress resilience, autonomy and quality of life across different stages of cognitive ageing.

I am now fortunate to have continued this line of research, first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as an Assistant Professor, at the University of Rochester, where our team explores how piano learning contributes to well-being for people with MCI. In collaboration with the Eastman School of Music, we recruited older adults with MCI who were music novices to participate in a structured 12-week piano training programme. From our qualitative findings, participants shared that the programme was not only a form of cognitive stimulation but also a process of self-discovery. They described regaining a sense of competence as they mastered new skills, which challenges the belief that nothing new can be learned once cognitive decline begins.

Piano learning may serve as a whole brain intervention that links cognitive stimulation, emotion and social connection, with potential to improve mood, rebuild self-confidence and enhance cognitive abilities. I hope to extend what I learned at HKU in my current position by developing scalable interventions to support brain health and potentially delay dementia.