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Comprehensive geriatric assessment in elderly outpatients with dementia
Márlon Juliano Romero Aliberti1, Elina Lika Kikuchi2, Regina Miksian Magaldi2
1Adjunct Physician of Geriatric Day Hospital. Geriatric Division of Hospital das Clínicas of Department of Internal Medicine of São Paulo University School of Medicine São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Dementia & Neuropsychologia
|December 8, 2017
Summary
The Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) effectively evaluated elderly dementia patients, revealing that moderate to severe dementia correlates with poorer functional status and increased fall risk. Caregiver involvement aided in characterizing health.
Area of Science:
- Geriatrics
- Neurology
- Public Health
Background:
- Dementia significantly impacts the elderly, exacerbating functional decline and autonomy loss.
- General health conditions can worsen dementia-related functional decline.
- Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is recommended for evaluating older adults but lacks assessment in dementia patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the functional, emotional, and clinical status of elderly dementia patients using CGA.
- To compare CGA results across different dementia severity levels.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving outpatient elderly dementia patients.
- Utilized CGA including Clinical Dementia Rating, POMA, Cornell scale for depression, ADL, MMSE, MNA, and sensory tests.
- Patients were stratified by dementia severity: mild, moderate, and severe.
Main Results:
- Fifty-two patients (mean age 77) with predominantly Alzheimer's disease (77%) were studied; depression was common.
- POMA scores correlated with fall history; sensory test results correlated with reported impairments.
- Moderate/severe dementia patients showed reduced leisure activities, higher fall risk, and poorer performance on MMSE, POMA, and ADL.
Conclusions:
- CGA, with caregiver assistance, successfully characterized the health status of elderly dementia patients.
- Moderate to severe dementia was associated with significantly poorer outcomes across multiple assessment criteria.
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