The assessment of cognition in older adults includes seven areas: memory function, verbal function, orientation, application, attention, perception and executive function.
1. Memory function: including the assessment of distant memory and recent memory function.
2. Verbal function: includes various aspects such as comprehension, language organization, and repetition.
3. Orientation: mainly includes three aspects of temporal orientation, spatial orientation and character orientation.
4. Application ability: mainly refers to the ability of the elderly to apply tools.
5. Attention: mainly to observe whether the elderly can concentrate and whether there will be frequent shifts in attention during conversation.
6. Perception: This includes visual, auditory and other senses and more complex perceptions.
7. Executive function: mainly to assess the elderly’s ability to understand and execute instructions.
The assessment of cognitive function is multi-faceted and requires a comprehensive assessment by a professional physician using specialized methods. Commonly used tools include the Simple Mental Status Examination Scale, Montel Cognitive Test, Dementia Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Scale, etc.