Screening for cognitive impairment among individuals aged 60 years or over: scoping review

Abstract

Although substantial increases in the numbers of elderly people are now foreseen in all countries, greater growth is expected in developing regions such as Brazil, where the proportions are expected to become 18.8% in 2020 and 29.3% in 2050. 1,2 Primary care is considered to be the front line for healthcare for the elderly and can provide regular contacts focused on preventing disabilities resulting from chronic health conditions, such as classification of cognitive impairment in this age group. 3 Healthcare professionals are faced with the challenge of evaluating the limit of normality among elderly people's cognitive alterations. Within the concept of senescence, they need to differentiate the expected changes for this age group from the pathological conditions of aging that constitute senility. If such conditions are seen at the prodromal stage, reversal or mitigation may still be possible. 4,5 Development of dementia in elderly people is a measurable risk. Thus, the pathological transition to this, from a mild stage of cognitive impairment, forms a "gray zone" between normality and initial dementia. 4 Screening for cognitive impairment among elderly people can be achieved through instruments that have already been translated and validated for application in Brazil. 6 Bustamante et al. 7 suggested that cognitive tests and functional scales should be used in combination, in populations with educational heterogeneity. This would improve the accuracy of cognitive screening among mild to moderate cases of dementia because, when used together, they

Predictors of everyday functional impairment in older patients with schizophrenia: A cross-sectional study

“…These deficits in everyday functioning may be further associated with problems in independent living, working, self-care, and socializing ( 6 ). Hence, everyday functioning is not only an important marker for screening cognitive alterations ( 7 ) but also a therapeutic target for rehabilitation ( 8 ).…”

Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and waist-to-hip ratio in middle-aged postmenopausal women are the main factors associated with semantic verbal fluency 12 years later

“…The accuracy of VFS is similar to Folstein’s Mini Mental State Examination test ( 9 ), but is free of charge and the levels of resistance or refusal to participate are low because listing words for 1 min is not particularly intimidating. It does not require any materials other than a device to keep track of the time and a means for recording the number of words produced ( 10 ). VFS also has been used previously as single cognitive measure in large population based studies ( 11 ).…”