Residents over the age of 60 in seven Central New York counties—Cayuga, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Oswego and Tompkins—can receive free memory screenings from their local Office for the Aging (OFA) as part of a collaborative project between SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University to assess the benefits of this type of screening in this setting.
The project is the first step in a plan that could possibly make such screenings available at OFAs across New York.
Early recognition of memory changes that could indicate an early stage dementia is important in order to help older adults gets the medical attention they need to avoid a crisis.
“If we are aware of early signs of memory issues, we are able to connect the individual to health care professionals who can begin appropriate treatment, while taking steps to educate and support families to improve the individual’s quality of life,” says Sharon Brangman, MD, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor and chair of the Geriatrics and director of the Center of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease. “The ability to easily screen this segment of the population has the potential to significantly benefit both the individual and their families.”
Changes that might be caused by early dementia can include changes in memory, depression, anxiety, aggression or lack of interest, Brangman says.
Here’s how the program works: OFA case managers in the selected counties have been trained by Upstate staff to administer what is called the “Mini-Cog,” a three-minute screening tool to assess potential memory loss. The screening can be administered in an individual’s home during a routine visit by OFA staff or at the county office. OFA case managers will not make any diagnoses based on the screening results; they will only administer the screening.
If the Mini-Cog shows any sign of memory change, the individual will be referred to Upstate University Geriatricians for a comprehensive geriatric assessment.
To evaluate the merits of this screening approach in community settings, Maria Brown, Ph.D., associate research professor in Syracuse University’s David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and Aging Studies Institute, will analyze screening information over the yearlong project to identify the number of clients screened, number of clients with scores indicating memory changes, number of clients who receive follow-up comprehensive assessments and their diagnostic results.
“We are excited about improving the ability of OFAs to identify older adults across the Central New York region who could benefit from geriatric evaluations and connection to services to address their changing needs,” Brown says. Read more here.