The 12-item Buschke memory test: appropriate for use across levels of impairment

Monitoring cognitive functions as older adults move from independent to assisted living is of utmost importance with respect to care planning. To this end, we examined the utility of a 12- item, free and cued recall, selective reminding, memory task for assessing persons across levels of functioning. Using cross-sectional data from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, it was observed that the 12-item Buschke memory test was well tolerated by participants regardless of their level of impairment. Further, various measures from the memory task differentiated among participants with different levels of impairment: Individuals living in the community performed better than those in institutions; individuals with no or mild functional impairment performed better than individuals with moderate or severe functional impairments; individuals with mild dementia performed better than those with moderate to severe dementia. Normative data are provided for this easily administered and well-tolerated memory measure. Key words: cognitive assessment, memory test, dementia, levels of impairment