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26 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What domains might a psychologist assess with older adults?
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- Psychiatric symptoms
- Cognitive functioning/dementia - Pain - ADL’s - Capacity - Medical history and medications |
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Finish this sentence “Research on the assessment of older adults often includes…”
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Those over 50 years
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Why is the term ‘older adult’ or elderly person’ regarded as heterogeneous?
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Because the age bracket of ‘over 65 years’ spans 4 decades
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What are the two age brackets that demographers have proposed as subgroupings of ‘older adult’?
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- ‘young adult’ 65 to 75 years
- ‘old old’ 75+ or 85+ |
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What are some of the physical and cognitive changes associated with ageing?
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Physical
- poor vision - hearing - difficulty writing - medical illness - mediations - fatigue Cognitive - attentional and memory problems - slowed processing speed and reaction time - dementia |
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What is a specific limitation of the DSM-5 with regards to older adults?
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No specific criteria section on, or criteria for, mental disorders late in life
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Why is the application of the DSM-5 criteria difficult when assessing older adults for the presence of a mental disorder? What is one example?
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Because for many disorders the DSM advises not to include symptoms that are clearly due to another medical condition or due to the effects of medications however in practice this is difficult as older adults often have multiple medical condition and medications.
Criteria for depression includes many symptoms that commonly a results of medical illness or medications such as weight loss, change in appetite, fatigue, sleep disturbance, diminished ability to think or concentrate |
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Why is a multimethod approach to assessing older adults important when assessing for a mental disorder?
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Because often older adults are unable to give reliable reports of their psychological symptoms and history therefore a clinical interview needs to be supplemented with an informant report
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What is an informant report?
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An interview with someone who knows the client well
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Finish this sentence 27% of aged care residents with depression...”
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Denied symptoms in a clinical interview
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What are some reasons an older adult may deny symptoms of depression in a clinical interview?
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- lack of insight
- unique presentation - tendency to normalize low mood - reluctance to disclose affective symptoms - stigma of mental illness |
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What is the main consideration when using standardized assessment instruments with older adults?
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That they have been psychometrically evaluated for use with older adults e.g. norms
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What are the two main types of cognitive assessments used with older adults?
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1. Comprehensive cognitive assessment
2. Brief cognitive screen |
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What are two examples of a standardized instruments for measuring affect/psychopathology which have questionable psychometric properties (particulary norms) when used with older adults?
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BDI-II (Beck Depression Inventory-II) and MMPI-2
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What is recommended for all older clients during any psychological assessment?
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A cognitive screen
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Finish this sentence “A cognitive screen gives a…”
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broad indication of cognitive function
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What is one of the most common cognitive screen?
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MMSE (Mini-Mental Status Examination)
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What 5 domains of functioning are assessed using the MMSE?
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1. Orientation
2. Concentration 3. Memory 4. Language 5. Visual Construction |
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How long does the MMSE usually take to administer?
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5-10 minutes
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What are some examples of the orientation items on the MMSE?
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- What (year, season, month, day of the week) is this?
- What (country, town, state room) are we in? |
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Apart from the MMSE what are some other cognitive screens used with older adults?
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1. 3MS (Modified Mini-Mental State) – measure a broader range than MMSE and has improved psychometrics
2. MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) – Recommended for screening mild cognitive dysfunction 3. PAS (psychogeriatric Assessment Scale) – Used in aged care facilities 4. RUDAS (Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale) - Recommended for people from CALD background 5. KICA (Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment) – Only screening tool validated for indigenous people. |
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What are the two most common instruments used for assessing depression in older adults and why?
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Geriatric Depression Scale and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia because they have been designed for older adults
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Describe the Geriatric Depression Scale.
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- self report measure which take 10 minutes to complete
- 30 items - Does not include somatic symptoms instead focuses on affective items - Y/N answer format - Strong validity for older adults without substantial cognitive impairment |
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What are some of the items on the Geriatric Depression Scale?
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- Are you basically satisfied with your life?
- Have you dropped many of your activities or interests? - Do you feel that your life is empty? - Do you often get bored? - Are you in good spirits most of he time? - Do you feel happy most of the time? - Do you feel helpless? - Do you prefer to stay at home rather than go out and do things? |
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Describe the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia.
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- Based on an interview with the older person and an interview with an informant
- Integrated with clinical observations prior to assigning scores - Validated fro older people - Only available depression assessment tool suitable for people with moderate-severe dementia - Used routinely in aged care facilities |
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Finish this sentence “less than half of those aged care residents with depression are typically…”
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Detected and treated
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