Test accommodations for the geriatric patient

Obtaining accurate information about the neuropsychological functioning of elderly individuals with physical or sensorimotor limitations may be fostered by judicious use of nonstandard testing strategies. We review professional documents that support this position and discuss selected "flexible" testing techniques that can serve this goal. These approaches may permit assessment of skills that might otherwise go unmeasured (e.g., naming ability or executive function in persons with visual impairment). This perspective is particularly critical when clinicians are asked to assess an older adult's capacity and competence in daily life functions.