Cognitive Assessment

MCI affects around 16% of people over age 65. Around 50% of those with MCI have Alzheimers Disease, 15% will progress to a different type of dementia and 35% won’t progress to dementia, and may even improve over time.

There is good evidence that some lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise may improve cognition in people with MCI and delay cognitive decline.

Dementia is not one specific disease. It describes a collection of symptoms that can affect memory, thinking, behaviour and the ability to perform everyday tasks.

The most common types of dementia are Alzheimers Disease, Vascular dementia and Dementia with Lewy bodies.

There are a number of conditions that produce symptoms similar to dementia. These include some vitamin and hormone deficiencies, depression, medication side effects and infections that may cause delirium.

A cognitive assessment involves taking a history of any cognitive decline, a physical examination and investigations such as blood tests and a brain scan to exclude another cause, other than dementia. Then a cognitive test that checks a range of intellectual functions will be done.

At present there is no cure for dementia , however there are lifestyle measures and medications that are proven to improve cognition in some cases and also slow the progression of the illness. In addition we provide education about the latest research, access to clinical trials and ongoing support for you and your family.