Simple questionnaire may identify dementia risk

Healthcare News
02/07/2008
New method for assessing cognition put forward by researchers.

A new questionnaire has been devised which can evaluate an older adult's basic mental functioning abilities, US scientists say.

The questionnaire assesses an individual's performance in everyday activities and is completed by someone who knows the person well, according to a report in the July issue of Neuropsychology, published by the American Psychological Association.

Any difficulties experienced in activities such as shopping without a list or following a conversation could signal the risk or presence of disease, researchers at the University of California suggest.

The study's authors state its findings tallied with medical diagnoses that have been given to participants, which they say is a sign of the study's validity.

In addition, given it was able to differentiate between normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment and dementia, it offers great promise for detecting individuals who may be at increased risk of developing dementia, according to the researchers.

Separate research last week from the Indiana University Centre for Ageing Research published in an Archives of Internal Medicine editorial suggested standard neurological tests on older adults can be useful for predicting health later in life.

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