Older people with declining cognitive functions need primary care to understand the underlying causes and concerns related to memory loss, dementia, etc. With the cognitive assessment test, primary health care professionals can easily identify the possible causes behind the emerging cognitive failure or deficit. In the case of older people, sooner is better. Let’s learn more about the assessment and its benefits.

What is a Cognitive assessment test?

Cognitive comes from the word cognition, which defines the ability to judge or perceive things efficiently. In older people, the cognitive functions are regularly checked during their wellness checks to diagnose their cognitive impairments in the early stage. This will help older people to get treated efficiently or have better plans for their future wellbeing.

But the cognitive assessment is not confined to older people. It is a vital tool for cognitive function assessment for all ages, including children.

When to get the cognitive assessment done?

You can take the assessment designed by an expert healthcare professional if you see yourself or older people in your house-

  • Forgetting important dates or appointments 
  • Misplacing objects of importance very easily
  • Forgetting incidents and repeating questions
  • Putting extra efforts in making lists
  • Finding it tough to understand the movie or TV series
  • Forgetting significant moments of their past
  • Finding it hard to remember words 
  • Getting lost often
  • Showing irritability often
  • Struggling with anxiety

Why is cognitive assessment important in older people?

Older adults can have visible cognitive impairments due to a streak of causes. Some of them may include-

  • Medication side effects
  • Underlying depression
  • Dementia
  • Vitamin deficiency
  • Sleep disorders
  • Vascular disease
  • Endocrine derangement

In most cases, Alzheimer’s is the most notable cause. Although it can be reversed, its symptoms can be treated for a time period. Meanwhile, families of older adults suffering from cognitive impairment can prepare themselves to address the changes and plan the safety.

Why the early diagnosis or cognitive assessment is beneficial?

If the older adults are showing cognitive impairment must be screened or assessed as quickly as possible. If the assessment result is negative, the concern alleviates at the same point. But if the assessment has a positive result, it will help plan the medical care ahead. For example, if the cognitive impairment is due to some medication, it can be checked and cut down or replaced by some other medicine. Or suppose the impairment is due to substance abuse, endocrine imbalance, dementia or depression, the healthcare professional can work toward the right cause and make the family aware of the actual condition of their family member.

Some other benefits of early screening or cognitive assessment tests are-

  • Having able to manage the comorbid condition more efficiently
  • Quicker access to treat the underlying health conditions
  • Managing or arranging safety parameters to address the potential impairment
  • Preparing a long-term care plan to smooth the journey of diseased older
  • Creating a care network for diseased early in the stage, including the legal, financial and medical help
  • Planning to modify the lifestyle of diseased adults and bring improvement in their quality of life

What to expect from a cognitive assessment?

If the staff or physician conducting the cognitive test is trained, the assessment will take 10 minutes or less. However, time may vary for older adults who are illiterate. Generally, there is a wide variety of tests available to pick from. But people should select the test according to their conditions and symptoms. Overall, the cognitive test rotates around testing the thinking process, memory, language, etc.

One of the popular cognitive assessment tests is The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. This intelligence scale is popular for assessing the intelligence of older people and adults. Designed by David Wechsler and published in the year 1955, the test contains timed subtests. At present, there are four versions of WAIS, WAIS (1955), WAIS-R (1981), WAIS-III (1997) and WAIS-IV (2008).

FAQs

What are the cognitive functions?

The ability to learn, read, think, reason, pay attention or remember is called cognitive functions. All these are associated with the brain and cognition.

Why is cognitive assessment test important for adults and older people?

The test makes identification of cognitive impairment easy. This helps prepare the course of action for dealing with reversible and irreversible cognitive failures.

What does cognitive assessment do?

The cognitive assessment checks adults and older people for cognition. The test assesses the thinking ability, memory, judgment ability, language and ability to read and learn.

What do you have to do during the cognitive assessment?

You need to answer the questions and perform tasks as prepared by the healthcare professional.

What is the widely used cognitive assessment tool?

It’s WAIS which stands for Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.

Where else cognitive assessment be used?

Expert recruiters and health care professionals use this tool to assess cognitive intelligence in the recruitment process, schools, colleges, primary healthcare, etc.