New Resource From National Institute on Aging (NIA) to Detect Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults

Clinicians and researchers now have a new and simple way to find
appropriate instruments to evaluate the cognitive status of older patients in
the primary care setting. The Instruments to Detect Cognitive Impairment in Older
Adults Database from the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at the National
Institutes of Health contains detailed information about more than 100
published instruments for detecting Alzheimer’s disease and other types of
cognitive impairment. Each instrument in the database was developed as a
cognitive assessment for age-related dementia and has had at least three
published studies using the instrument since its debut and at least one
publication in the last 10 years. Users can search the database by specific
criteria, such as time to administer the instrument, the administrator’s level
of expertise, cost, and target diagnosis. They can also find instruments that
have been evaluated in specific populations and translated into languages other
than English. Each instrument is summarized, with references cited and linked
for easy access.