title: Cognitive profiles of elder adult protective services clients living in squalor.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine whether squalor-dwelling Adult Protective Services (APS) clients were more cognitively impaired than non-squalor-dwelling APS clients referred for decision-making capacity assessments. The authors performed a retrospective medical record review of neuropsychological and demographic data gathered during decisional capacity assessments. Squalor dwelling was defined by unsanitary living conditions that posed a danger to the occupant's health or safety. Mean neuropsychological test scores were compared between squalor-dwelling (n = 50) and non-squalor-dwelling (n = 180) subjects. Squalor-dwelling clients were significantly younger than non-squalor-dwelling clients. There were no distribution differences among gender, education, race, or rural-dwelling status. Although both groups performed poorly on each neuropsychological measure, squalor dwellers demonstrated better memory and general cognitive performance. Cognition, depression, gender, race, education, dementia diagnosis, and rural-dwelling status seem insufficient to explain squalor-dwelling behaviors. Other biological and psychosocial variables should be considered.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio , San Antonio , Texas , USA.
authors.forename: Whitley W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Aamodt
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Terracina
authors.forename: Jason E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Schillerstrom
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D060845:Hoarding / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Adult Protective Services; cognition; squalor