Repositorio Ciencia Abierta Universidad del Bío-Bío

INTRODUCTION: WITH THE INCREASE IN THE POPULATION WITHIN THE CATEGORY OF OLDER ADULTS, IT IS NECESSARY TO SEARCH FOR NEW STRATEGIES THAT ENSURE HEALTHY AGING. THIS STUDY AIMS TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN READING COMPREHENSION AND COGNITIVE RESERVE IN OLDER PEOPLE, AND THE DEGREE OF COGNITIVE DECLINE. METHODS: THE PRISMA-SCR CRITERIA WERE APPLIED TO THE ARTICLES AVAILABLE IN THE PUBMED AND SCOPUS DATABASES, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE SEARCH ALGORITHM [""""RESERVE COGNITIVE"""" AND ?LANGUAGE? AND ?READING?] PUBLISHED BETWEEN 2019 AND 2024. RESULTS: FROM THE 8 SELECTED ARTICLES, EVIDENCE WAS FOUND THAT INDICATED THAT THERE IS A POSITIVE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN COGNITIVE RESERVE AND READING COMPREHENSION IN OLDER ADULTS. CONCLUSIONS: READING COMPREHENSION PLAYS A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE IN THE COGNITIVE RESERVE OF OLDER ADULTS, WHICH ALLOWS THEM TO SOLVE COMPLEX TASKS AND ACTS AS A PROTECTIVE FACTOR AGAINST DETERIORATION DUE TO AGING.

OLDER ADULTS IN THE THIRD-AGE GROUP (60-79 YEARS) MAINTAIN READING COMPREHENSION SKILLS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF YOUNGER ADULTS, BUT LITTLE IS KNOW ABOUT INDIVIDUALS IN THE FOURTH AGE (80+ YEARS). THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES DIFFERENCES IN READING COMPREHENSION IN A BETWEEN-GROUP DESIGN. WE EVALUATED A SAMPLE OF 150 OLDER ADULTS, COMPRISING 86 THIRD-AGE AND 64 FOURTH-AGE PARTICIPANTS. WE EXAMINED THE INFLUENCE OF SEX, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING, FORMAL EDUCATION, SEL-PERCEIVED READING DIFFICULTIES, AND READING HABITS ON THEIR TEXT COMPREHENSION ABILITIES. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT FOURTH-AGE ADULTS HAVE A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN READING COMPREHENSION COMPARED TO THIRD-AGE ADULTS. STRONG READING HABITS WERE POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH BETTER COMPREHENSION ACROSS BOTH GROUPS, SUGGESTING THAT REGULAR READING MAY BUFFER AGAINST AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE. POOR READERS READ LESS FREQUENTLY AND PERCEIVED GREATER DIFFICULTY WITH THE TASKS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND EDUCATION DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCE COMPREHENSION?POSSIBLY DUE TO THE GENERALLY LOW EDUCATION LEVELS IN THE SAMPLE. HOWEVER, STRONG READING HABITS APPEARED TO COMPENSATE FOR THESE LIMITATIONS. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST A POTENTIAL PROTECTIVE ROLE OF LIFELONG READING HABITS AND HIGHLIGHT THE NEED FOR INTERVENTIONS TO SUPPORT READING SKILLS IN OLDER ADULTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH LOWER EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUNDS. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EXPLORE THESE DYNAMICS FURTHER TO ENHANCE COGNITIVE RESILIENCE IN THE OLDEST POPULATIONS.

THIS ARTICLE AIMS TO REFLECT ON HOW HUMANISTIC EDUCATION CAN EMPOWER INDIVIDUALS AND PROFESSIONALS TO NAVIGATE SOCIAL AND PERSONAL CRISES, WITH A FOCUS ON THE CHALLENGES FACING CHILE, OUR DOMAIN. IT ALSO SEEKS TO PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HARNESSING THE HUMANITIES IN EDUCATION TO HELP FUTURE GENERATIONS AVOID THE ALARMING CONSEQUENCES OF FUNCTIONAL ILLITERACY, AS HIGHLIGHTED BY OECD STUDIES. IN CHILE, THESE STUDIES REVEAL THAT A STAGGERING 53% OF ADULTS AND 84% OF THE POPULATION STRUGGLE TO COMPREHEND WRITTEN TEXTS, LEADING TO A DISCONNECT FROM THEIR SOCIAL, CULTURAL, AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT. THIS HAS PERPETUATED A CYCLE OF EXPLOITATION, FRUSTRATION, AND ANGER WITHIN SOCIETY FOR DECADES. WHILE THIS PERSPECTIVE MAY BE LIMITED, DRAWING FROM SPECIFIC AUTHORS AND ACADEMIC COURSES, IT UNDERSCORES THE NEED TO ADDRESS THESE CRISES THROUGH EDUCATION. BY INTEGRATING THE HUMANITIES INTO PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND LATER, HIGHER EDUCATION, WE CAN BEGIN TO MITIGATE THESE CHALLENGES AND FOSTER A MORE INFORMED, EMPATHETIC, AND ENGAGED CITIZENRY.