Development of computerized screening system for dementia and its preliminary field test

The population of aged persons is increasing along with an extension of the average span of human life. Therefore, the number of persons who suffer from dementing disorders is also increasing. Because the various psychotic symptoms and behavioral problems are frequently observed in persons with dementia, the families taking care of such people require help to reduce their mental and physical load. Therefore, maintenance and enhancement of the social support system for aged persons are urgent issues. Early identification is important because immediate recognition of dementia people and appropriate follow up treatment can prevent the progress of the disease. Clinical interviews are one general method for detecting patients with dementing disorders, and the Hasegawa Dementia Scale is one of the most popular methods in Japan. The test takes about 10 min per person, but it requires a lot of time and burden for medical staff to screen patients with dementia from the increasing number of aged persons. Therefore, new methods for assessing cognitive functions are requested. A computerized assessment system was developed for dementia which is based on the Hasegawa Dementia Scale. This system was designed for aged persons with no previous computer experience to operate easily by making efficient use of multimedia. In this paper, the system and preliminary results of the field-test are reported.