Mental status and memory assessment as predictors of dementia

Mental status instruments that have been used in assessing the cognitive status of elderly adults have focused primarily on orientation and remote memory. In this study the Extended Mental Status Questionnaire (EMSQ) and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center (PGC) Delayed Memory Test were found to be the best combined predictors of clinical judgment of senile dementia among a multidisciplinary set of variables. The EMSQ differentiated patients with moderate/severe dementia from patients classified as non- or mildly demented but incorrectly classified all mildly demented patients. With the addition of the PGC Delayed Memory Test, 75% of the mildly demented patients were classified correctly. The PGC Delayed Memory Test, therefore, appears to be useful in identifying patients in the early stages of cognitive decline.