title: Cognitive function assessment in individuals at risk for Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe brief assessments of functional performance and cognition to detect Alzheimer's disease (AD) and depression in older adults for the primary care provider.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of the literature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important for the clinician to interview both the patient and a knowledgeable informant to assess changes in the patients' functioning in daily life tasks and to administer brief screening tests to detect cognitive impairment and depression in older adults. Several suggested instruments for use in the primary care setting are included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Standardized assessments of functional performance and brief cognitive tests identify individuals with clinically meaningful cognitive impairment and provide baseline measurement against which to compare future assessments.
authors.affiliation: Adult Health & Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Programs, School of Nursing, Alzheimer's Disease Center, University of Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie T
authors.initials: VT
authors.lastname: Cotter
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Jason H T
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Karlawish
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors