RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Group Screening For Cognition Disorders In Elderly Persons
JF The Journal of the American Board of Family
                Practice
JO J Am Board Fam Med
FD American Board of Family Medicine
SP 131
OP 137
DO 10.3122/jabfm.4.3.131
VO 4
IS 3
A1 Peter J. Rizzolo
A1 Dianne Wildman
A1 Eleanor J. Bentz
YR 1991
UL http://www.jabfm.org/content/4/3/131.abstract
AB Prevalence rates of cognitive impairment in persons aged 75 to 85 years are in the range of 10 to 19 percent, and 20 to 47 percent after the age of 85 years. Screening for dementia in persons aged 75 years and older would therefore identify a significant number of impaired persons. When screening for dementia, group testing would be more cost-effective than individual testing. We modified the Folstein Mini-Mental State examination (MMSE) for screening in a group setting. Community volunteers were tested at a geriatric health fair and at a special exercise class for the elderly. Subjects were subsequently tested individually using the standard Folstein MMSE. Analysis using Pearson correlation and a paired t-test indicates a high degree of concurrent validity between the two methods of administering the MMSE. This pilot study suggests that when screening elderly persons for dementia, a group-administered instrument can be a useful method to obtain a preliminary sample of cognitively impaired individuals.