Screening for cognitive impairment among community-dwelling older adults: A comparison of 2 screening instruments
Screening for cognitive impairment among community-dwelling older adults: A comparison of 2 screening instruments
Journal of Primary Care & Community Health
- Author(s): Hobden, Breanne, Bryant, Jamie, Freund, Megan, Clapham, Matthew, Sanson-Fisher, Rob
- Published: 2021
- Publisher: SAGE Publications Inc
- Volume: 12
- ISBN: 2150-1327
Abstract: Introduction: Community aged care services provide support to older adults living in their own homes. Cognitive impairment may increase the complexity of the support required. There is a need to ensure suitable brief screening tools are available to community aged care providers to assess possible cognitive impairment. This study aimed to examine the agreement between 2 validated cognitive impairment screening tools, the Mini-Cog, and Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), and the perceptions the individuals case manager of Case Manager's. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study was undertaken with clients of a community aged care provider. Clients were administered both the screening tools via an electronic survey by their Case Manager. Results: In total, 158 (54%) eligible participants consented to participate. There was a 70% agreement between the Mini-Cog and AMTS measures, indicating a moderate agreement which was not statistically different from chance (Kappa 0.08, 95% CI 0.04-0.19). Case Managers identified 37% (n=48/130) of participants as possibly having cognitive impairment, of which, 15% (n=20) were also identified via a screening tool. Conclusions: The findings indicate poor agreement across the 3 measures. To ensure adequate supports are offered to those with cognitive impairment, the use of validated tools that can be administered by non-medical staff in a community setting is a priority. This study highlights a need for further work to determine the most suitable tool for use by community-based aged care services.