Cognitive assessments are used and administered to determine a persons’ level of cognitive ability. Ranging from clinical exams, medical history, assessments of multiple cognitive domains, lab tests, or even MRI / CT scans - the level of cognitive ability can be measured and can assist in the detection or diagnosis of cognitive impairment, such as dementia. Dementia affects 2.4 to 5.5 million Americans, with its prevalence increasing with age [1]. Nonetheless such signs and symptoms of cognitive impairment may include the quality of life, cognition, mood, and even behavioral deprecation [1]. A 2014 study reported by Mansbach, MacDougall, Clark, and Mace [2] examined the use of the Kitchen Picture Test (KPT) as a screening measure for the assessment of cognitive impairment and practical judgement in older adults [2]. According to Mansbach et al., the Kitchen Picture …show more content…
However, as valid and reliable as such assessments may be, some of these tests run the risk of being outdated. Technology has taken a toll on not only the advancement of the medical and research field (as well as other fields), but has also set out an advantage of being able to fulfill and assess a cognitive impairment, such as dementia, without the presence of a medical physician. Essentially, by creating an advanced assessment that can be compatible on any mobile, laptop, or tablet - the persons’ level of cognitive ability is measured through the organized assessment at any given time or place. The reinvention of cognitive assessments - moving forward into the 21st century with new technological resources
Keith, T. Z., Kranzler, J. H., & Flanagan, D. P. (2001). What Does the Cognitive Assessment
Doctors need a sure way to diagnose the disease before treatment or studies can be done. The diagnosis is an autopsy of brain tissue examined under a microscope. In addition, medical history, a physical exam, and mental status tests are used for diagnosis (Posen, 1995). Often, tests are done to rule out other potential causes of the dementia. This allows the identification of other causes of thinking and behavioral changes to be made before concluding that the patient has Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia. The tests that are requested to be done include CT and MRI scans to rule out strokes or brain tumors which could account for change in memory and behavior; thyroid and psychological tests which can also detect thinking and behavior problems (Posen, 1995).
Nerney, C. (2014, April). Dementia. Lecture conducted from Massachusetts’s College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA.
DEFINING AND DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA. (2005). In The Cambridge Handbook of Age and Ageing. Retrieved from https://hodges.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://www.credoreference.com.hodges.
As adults grow older a substantial number of people experience pain and cognitive impairment. Assessment’s of their pain become more complex as patient’s cognitive abilities decline, patient’s losing their ability to express themselves, and not understanding their pain (Chatterjee, 2012). Dementia is one the many cognitive impairments elders might go through. It is a progressive brain disease and can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe according to the level of cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment can affect a person’s ability to describe their pain, understand the assessment questions that are asked, recall painful events, and rate their pain on a numeric scale 0-10 (Wilsons et al, 2006). Observation assessments like the Abbey
The horrible feeling of forgetting a coworker’s or an acquaintance’s name may be one of the most frustrating things a person can experience. This is a fact that many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s face on a reoccurring basis. Loss of memory is a common part of the aging process and is sometimes referred to as dementia. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia and is not reversible in this day and age. In fact, 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases are Alzheimer’s and in 2015 more than 5.1 million cases age 65 or older were reported (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). The most startling statistic is that by 2050, 14 million Americans and 81 million worldwide cases are expected (Wierenga & Bondi, 2011). While dementia is a part of Alzheimer’s it also affects an afflicted patient ability to perform day to day tasks, increased mood swings, and in the later stages, the ability to even walk or care for themselves. This horrible disease
Worldwide, 35.6 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year (WHO 2012). There are ma...
One of the most common problems in elders is dementia. The Alzheimer’s Association describes dementia as a range of symptoms rather than just one single specific disease. The symptoms of dementia range from memory loss as well as a decline in thinking skills to severe symptoms that lead to the decline of that person’s ability to perform activities of daily living (What
Throughout this line of study, Alzheimer’s disease is a specific form of dementia. According to Alzheimer’s Association, dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability that is severe enough to hinder daily life. Memory loss is a symptom of dementia and the most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. One of the most common and severe symptom of Alzheimer’s is difficulty remembering newly learned information. The changes of Alzheimer’s normally begin in the part of the brain that affects learning (Overview Alzheimer's Association). Some other symptoms of Alzheimer’s include gradual memory loss, the decline in capability to carry out everyday tasks and the loss of their language skills. According to Bialystok the rate of decline in cognitive functioning was significant in the Alzheimer’s disease group compared to Mild Cognitive Impairment during the study of bilingualism and how it is associated with a substantial delay in the onset of (AD) and (MCI) (Bialystok, 2014). Disorientation, mood and behavior changes, some confusion about past events are some severe symptoms. As Alzheimer’s worsens over time, the ability to get dressed or turn off the stove, are some examples of possible decline in ability to perform everyday tasks. Those who suffer with Alzheimer’s disease, could be forgetting to do things that they were supposed to do such as babysitting the children or how to get back home (V. Hill, Personal Communication, March 2014). Disorientation is another one of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, which is having difficulty knowing the date, or what year they are in, or the location they are at. Alzheimer’s has no current cure, and it is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years...
"Focus group reflections on the current and future state of cognitive assessment tools in geriatric health care." Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, vol. 11, 2015, p. 1455+. Academic OneFile,
The second document is an October 20, 2004 FIF which appears to be the only time we attempted to conduct a cognitive test. The two sentence intellectual portion of the report states that the WJ-III test of cognitive ability was attempted on 10/20/2004. The second sentence says “Informally, Sarah appears to be intellectually functioning in the below average range.” Petitioner is correct that no other info was provided and no further testing was ever conducted by KISD in the area of cognition.
It was once the norm to associate a decline in one’s memory to be a part of typical aging. As it has been proven, a marked decline in cognition is an unexpected outcome of the aging process. A decline has actually been identified to be cause for concern and thus falls under the broad scope of dementia. One particular disease that falls under the umbrella of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. This is an unfortunate disorder with a hallmark symptom of gradual, ongoing, neurological decline. The disease not only consumes a person’s short term memory but eventually the long term memory as well.
Dementia is defined by the World Health Organization as a syndrome due to damage of the brain cells that most often chronic and progressive in nature. Some of the cortical functions that become impaired include memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, calculation, learning capacity, language and judgment. Other manifestations that may accompany this disease are deterioration in emotional control, social behavior or motivation (Ouldred & Bryant, 2009) Dementia is not a normal part of aging, however it occurs most frequently in the older population. Fifteen percent of Americans over the age of sixty-five have dementia, and as the average life span continues to increase, so will the number of those affected by dementia (Fredman, James, Johnson, Scholz, & Weuve, 2012). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the pathophysiology, risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options for different types of dementia.
Throughout the case study, Dan Lee, a Chinese American, was struggling with concentrating on his college studies and reoccurring personal conflicts amongst people. Dan is an undergraduate student preparing to apply for medical school, which he cannot apply unless he passes all necessary courses. However, he has been having some difficulty with staying on top of all assignments given. Also, he seeks help from the university-counseling center with his feelings of anxiety, tension, sadness, and anger. Many of these feelings arise when his fellow peers, family, and friends does not see that he is always “right” and they are always “wrong”. Although, in some cases he feels disrespected by the way his mother and sister does not abide
Cognitive psychology refers to the scientific investigation of human mental faculties, i.e. perceiving, learning, remembering, reasoning, thinking, and understanding. From within this extensive subject appears the ongoing debate concerning human intelligence. One of the most elusive foci of cognitive psychology, due to difficulties with defining and measuring it, intelligence is nevertheless the most intriguing as psychologists the world round study and attempt to further our understanding of it. In recent years, discoveries have shed light on, with hindsight, a rather biased view on whether intelligence is determined solely by genetics or our environment. According to Eysenck, this is due mainly to larger and better selected samples, as well as technological advances within molecular genetics.