Mental status assessment in the elderly

Mental status testing is an essential element of evaluating elderly patients. A structured examination often helps identify the etiology of symptoms that are responsible for changes in patient behavior, that lead to family stress, but that are otherwise not indicative of cognitive dysfunction. A structured mental status examination is also helpful in distinguishing cognitive changes caused by dementia, delirium, and depression. This article examines the steps in mental status assessment and the commonly used assessment instruments. The experience of a family medicine ambulatory multidisciplinary evaluation service in mental status testing is discussed.