Testing/Assessing Cognitive Condition

[yakers]

So DW (72) & I (70) find ourselves sometimes searching for words, names or memories. Still quite competent but I am getting lazy in calculations and use a calculator rather than figuring it out in my head. AFAIK we’re ‘normal’ but what is that? Is there a web site (or other media) to check out cognitive abilities, maybe something like taking the SAT every year with some memory bits thrown in? There are blood and other medical tests to show ones health condition, why not cognitative tests? Does reaction speed matter more than accuracy? And extra points if there is a way to assess physical decline too. We are definitely losing some strength, I have a challenge getting the kayak on the Jeep, used to just toss it on. Still active aerobically but maybe need to add some weight work which I have been avoiding but maybe COVID times could be an opportunity in this area.

 

[W2R]

So DW (72) & I (70) find ourselves sometimes searching for words, names or memories. Still quite competent but I am getting lazy in calculations and use a calculator rather than figuring it out in my head. AFAIK we’re ‘normal’ but what is that? Is there a web site (or other media) to check out cognitive abilities, maybe something like taking the SAT every year with some memory bits thrown in? There are blood and other medical tests to show ones health condition, why not cognitative tests? Does reaction speed matter more than accuracy? And extra points if there is a way to assess physical decline too. We are definitely losing some strength, I have a challenge getting the kayak on the Jeep, used to just toss it on. Still active aerobically but maybe need to add some weight work which I have been avoiding but maybe COVID times could be an opportunity in this area.

I do not know of any tests like that, although some may exist. I agree, from your description it sounds like what you are describing is probably within a normal range of experiences although I am not qualified to make such an assessment.

Frank (66) and I (72) are having many of the same issues. It's so annoying! For example if we are conversing about a celebrity, like, say, John Fogerty, sometimes in the next sentence I can't remember his name even though it was just said a few minutes prior. How annoying! And what was the last name of that funny kid in the back row in 4th grade? F says it's like we have mental file cabinets that fill up throughout life, and ours are so full we can't access the files easily.

Neither of us are having calculation difficulties thus far, luckily, although once in a while I check my mental arithmetic with a calculator just to be sure. Every day we divide our (restaurant) lunch bill in our heads, to figure out how much each should pay. So, that's a good way to practice those skills. We both enjoy staying mentally active.

 

[braumeister]

I don't have a real test to offer, but I think this is a good way to look at it.

 

[Nemo2]

I was going to respond, and then thought "Respond to what?"

Approaching 78 1/2, all I can offer is "If you think 70 is bad, stick around, it goes downhill from there".

 

[ER Eddie]

There are blood and other medical tests to show ones health condition, why not cognitative tests?

There are plenty of those cognitive tests. They're called neuropsychological tests, and they're administered by psychologists or neuropsychologists, sometimes by neurologists or psychiatrists as well. You could ask your doctor for a referral.

One important distinction is between a neuropsychological screener and a full-blown neuropsychological evaluation. The first can be done by most psychologists and psychiatrists. It only takes half an hour or so. It tells you at a gross level whether there's a problem that requires further evaluation.

A full-blown neuropsychological testing/evaluation is done only by people who have special training (neuropsychologists, usually). It takes about 4 to 6 hours, and it'll give you a good assessment of all the major domains of cognitive function.

 

[Amethyst]

Like anything else, we wear out over time.

Exercise can help, but you have to do more and more of it just to try to stay on a plateau.

Prolonging your lifespan only seems to lead to dementia, as science hasn't yet figured out how to do for the brain what we can do for the heart, for example. Old people's homes are full of nonagenarians who seem certain to reach a century, yet who can't pursue hobbies, understand the news or read a book any more. One wonders why they are still alive.

Since this all sucks, we mostly try not to think about it too much.

 

[donheff]

Yakers, your lapses sound like mine at 72. I have seen numerous lists like Braumeister posted that convince me that it's just routine age related decline. If I find myself having serious problems or if DW or the kids become concerned I will consult a neurologist. As for the physical decline I share your concerns. I ride a bike 3-5 times a week and have seen my speed and distance decline over the past few years. I am not overly worried about it as long as I get a reasonable amount in but I hope I can keep up. A recent diagnosis of Parkinson's doesn't help.

For muscle decline add some weights, pushups, pullups to your day. When I dropped out of the gym because of Covid, I got some dumbbells' and installed a doorway chin-up bar. The initial chin-ups and pull-ups (which I didn't do in the gym) did not go well. But I quickly got up to 10-11 chin-ups and 8-9 pull-ups, which is more than I have done in years.

 

[RetMD21]

My mother went through a formal battery of neuropsychological tests for cognitive impairment. It was an expensive waste of time. It produced no actionable information and didn't help get payment from her LTC insurance. This I may be a little biased.
I wonder about this AARP program:

https://stayingsharp.aarp.org/?intcmp=AE-HEA-BH-TERTNAV-SS

 

[Boho]

Open one of the test forms here. There are four tests to choose from (I don't know why it mentions seven). "Only one test form should be used. It does not matter which one you choose." I chose Test-Form 1.

"There is no answer sheet provided here for you to score yourself because there are multiple correct answers to many of the questions on the test. SAGE should be scored by your physician." But you may feel confident enough about your answers that you're satisfied.

Here's more information.

 

[Walt34]

I know I'm in good shape. Today I drove to the drugstore, picked up a prescription, remembered something else DW wanted me to get while there, bought it, and found my way home without using the GPS.

 

[braumeister]

As we grow older, it’s important to keep mentally alert.
If you don’t use it, you will lose it !!


The spaces below are so you don’t see the answers until you’ve answered.

#1. What do you put in a toaster ?
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Answer: 'bread.' If you said 'toast', just give up now and go do something else.
And, try not to hurt yourself. ;

If you said, bread, go to Question #2.

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# 2. Say 'silk' ten times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink ?.

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Answer: Cows drink water. If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question.
Your brain is already over-stressed and may even overheat.
Content yourself with reading more appropriate literature such as Women's Weekly or Auto World.


However, if you did say 'water', proceed to Question #3..

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# 3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from ?.

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Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass.






If you said 'green bricks', why are you still reading this PLEASE, go lie down !




But, if you said 'glass,' go on to Question #4..

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# 4. Please do not use a calculator for this for it would be cheating:.

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You are driving a bus from New York City to Philadelphia.


In Staten Island, 17 people got on the bus.


In New Brunswick, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on.


In Windsor, 2 people get off and 4 get on.


In Trenton, 11 people get off and 16 people get on.


In Bristol, 3 people get off and 5 people get on.


And, in Camden, 6 people get off and 3 get on.






You then arrive at Philadelphia Station.










Without going back to review, how old is the bus driver ?.

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Answer: Oh, for crying out loud !



Don't you remember your own age?!?! It was YOU driving the bus!



If you pass this along to your friends, pray they do better than you.

 

[donheff]

I know I'm in good shape. Today I drove to the drugstore, picked up a prescription, remembered something else DW wanted me to get while there, bought it, and found my way home without using the GPS.

LOL. I maneuvered by foot through the besieged Capitol Hill neighborhood over to the Green Zone, Red Zone, or whatever they are calling it. I managed to snap a picture of the fortifications on Pennsylvania Avenue and make it back home intact. I'm good to go mentally and physically.

 

[yakers]

My mother went through a formal battery of neuropsychological tests for cognitive impairment. It was an expensive waste of time. It produced no actionable information and didn't help get payment from her LTC insurance. This I may be a little biased.
I wonder about this AARP program:

https://stayingsharp.aarp.org/?intcmp=AE-HEA-BH-TERTNAV-SS

Part of the AARP program is more the kind of thing I am wondering about. MIL had the formal neuropsychological assessment and could not get long term insurance, so it worked for the insurers (I think they were right)

I can test my blood pressure, eyesight, blood sugar, BMI and other physical markers, just thought there might be/should be something like a periodic IQ/SAT or other questionnaire system that would suggest, 'hey, mentally doing ok @X years'

 

[yakers]

Open one of the test forms here. There are four tests to choose from (I don't know why it mentions seven). "Only one test form should be used. It does not matter which one you choose." I chose Test-Form 1.

"There is no answer sheet provided here for you to score yourself because there are multiple correct answers to many of the questions on the test. SAGE should be scored by your physician." But you may feel confident enough about your answers that you're satisfied.

Here's more information.

I will be checking this out, closest I have seen to what I am looking for, thanks

 

[Ronstar]

I had my first medicare wellness exam a couple of months ago. Included what they called a cognitive test. They gave me 4 words to remember at the beginning, and then proceeded to ask me other questions including drawing the face of a clock and the hands at 10 minutes after 11.

I went through the whole test reciting the 4 words repeatedly in my mind, but I couldn't keep the words going in my brain while drawing the clock. In the end I remembered 3 of the 4 words. The last word was fog, but I said frog.

I chalked it up to them not annunciating clearly. The dr told me that I failed but not to worry about it. And then he wrote something down in my chart. Next year I'm going to study first and have DW give me a test before my wellness exam.

 

[Ronstar]

Frank (66) and I (72) are having many of the same issues. It's so annoying! For example if we are conversing about a celebrity, like, say, John Fogerty, sometimes in the next sentence I can't remember his name even though it was just said a few minutes prior. How annoying! And what was the last name of that funny kid in the back row in 4th grade? F says it's like we have mental file cabinets that fill up throughout life, and ours are so full we can't access the files easily.

The mental file cabinets being full is the real deal.

MIL closing in on 92 has increasing memory issues. She calls DW to tell her something, even though they talked about it ten minutes earlier. She can't remember much within the past year or so, even up to the last 10 minutes. I told her that Elvis has started dating again and Priscilla is upset. She believed it.

But her long term memory is incredible. She explained her one room school house and old nearby train station to me in detail. I found it all on an old map at the county historical society and her explanation checks out. She explained her family farm and its buildings - I found it on a 1940 aerial photo to be exactly the way she described it. I'm a history nut and I can bank on her knowing the answer to any question I ask her - as long as it happened several decades ago.

 

[harllee]

The CCRC DH and I plan to move into gives you a cognitive test to make sure you are able to live independently before you can move in. These are the types of things you have to be able to do:
1. Count backwards by 7.
2. They give you 4 words at the beginning of the conversation and you have to remember the 4 words after 15 minutes.
3. Draw a certain time on the hands of a clock.
4. They ask you questions about current events-for example, who is the governor of your state, etc.

 

[Koolau]

The CCRC DH and I plan to move into gives you a cognitive test to make sure you are able to live independently before you can move in. These are the types of things you have to be able to do:
1. Count backwards by 7.
2. They give you 4 words at the beginning of the conversation and you have to remember the 4 words after 15 minutes.
3. Draw a certain time on the hands of a clock.
4. They ask you questions about current events-for example, who is the governor of your state, etc.

I went to a CCRC "open house" and they offered these tests (slightly different - what is the day and date, for instance.) I was surprised that they gave a grip-strength test. They said it was quite predictive - I was one level below the max grip strength. I did well on the other tests as well except I forgot one of my 3 words. After 15 years, I still remember two of the words! Not sure what I had for lunch yesterday, however. YMMV

 

[harllee]

I went to a CCRC "open house" and they offered these tests (slightly different - what is the day and date, for instance.) I was surprised that they gave a grip-strength test. They said it was quite predictive - I was one level below the max grip strength. I did well on the other tests as well except I forgot one of my 3 words. After 15 years, I still remember two of the words! Not sure what I had for lunch yesterday, however. YMMV

Interesting about grip strength--had not heard about that one, but I am good on that --I still have good grip strength and can still open jars! I do remember that the CCRC asks you to stand on one foot to check balance---I do a lot of standing yoga poses so I am good on that too. Now the counting backwards by 7--I have to practice that!

 

[PatrickA5]

I had the full neuro test about 5 years ago. Took 8 hours over 2 days. It wasn't fun at all. I got a 10 page report from the doctor saying I'm way above average in math and way below average in short term memory. Everything else was average. Final result was Mild Cognitive Impairment, but the Neuropsychologist didn't think it was dementia (yet). I don't think it's gotten any worse.

 

[Boho]

I'd do well on the puzzles, strength, and balance. Memory, not so great but never was. Math, not so great but never was, unless it's puzzle based where I'd be given more time. To count down by sevens I'd have to subtract 10 and add three for each number. If I'd need to not look like I'm doing that and go faster, I'm screwed. I'd like to take an official memory test just to establish my memory at my current age so they don't think I'd declining in the future.

 

[Amethyst]

That shows you understand the concept of arithmetic, which is all "they" are looking for.

Most of this stuff, IMHO, is "filler" to distract a person from the real memory challenges, like being able to remember certain words or numbers for more than five minutes.

A sick memory can't hold onto new information very long, because of damage to the mechanisms which transfer what you hear/see into short-term memory and eventually long-term memory, and then retrieve this information when it's needed.

A person can even retain intellectual ability, but become helpless because new information just doesn't stick. Can't follow any but the dumbest TV shows (e.g. "Low-class people yelling at each other" types of shows), because what the characters did or said 2 minutes ago is...gone. And so on.

I'd do well on the puzzles, strength, and balance. Memory, not so great but never was. Math, not so great but never was, unless it's puzzle based where I'd be given more time. To count down by sevens I'd have to subtract 10 and add three for each number.