title: The 12-item Buschke memory test: appropriate for use across levels of impairment.
abstract: Monitoring cognitive functions as older adults move from independent to assisted living is of utmost importance with respect to care planning. To this end, we examined the utility of a 12- item, free and cued recall, selective reminding, memory task for assessing persons across levels of functioning. Using cross-sectional data from the Canadian Study of Health and Aging, it was observed that the 12-item Buschke memory test was well tolerated by participants regardless of their level of impairment. Further, various measures from the memory task differentiated among participants with different levels of impairment: Individuals living in the community performed better than those in institutions; individuals with no or mild functional impairment performed better than individuals with moderate or severe functional impairments; individuals with mild dementia performed better than those with moderate to severe dementia. Normative data are provided for this easily administered and well-tolerated memory measure. Key words: cognitive assessment, memory test, dementia, levels of impairment
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: Megan E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: O'Connell
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tuokko
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010343:Patient Admission; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity