You admit an 83-year-old widowed White woman for further evaluation because she is no longer able to care for herself at home. She has lost 30 lb in the past year, has poor hygiene, and admits to increasing forgetfulness.
A commonly administered screening test to evaluate for dementia is which of the following?
- Geriatric Rating Scale
- Glasgow Coma Scale
3) Folstein Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) - Mental Status Examination (MSE)
- Blessed Rating Scale
View Explanation
The Folstein MMSE is a frequently used screening assessment for dementia. It is a 30-point scale with deductions for incorrect answers. The Glasgow Coma Scale is an easy-toperform instrument that evaluates level of consciousness. There are three general categories that the examiner tests: eye opening, verbal response, and best motor response. Each category receives a number for patient response. Overall scores range from 3 to 15, with lower scores reflecting more severely impaired consciousness. The Geriatric Rating Scale is a rating scale for nonprofessional staff to evaluate patients’ abilities to perform their activities of daily living and interact with others. It may be most helpful in evaluation of the moderately to severely demented individual. The Blessed Rating Scale is a tool that typically asks a patient’s friends or relatives to assess the ability of the patient to function in his or her current environment. An MSE is the formal psychiatric examination that includes appearance, assessment of mood and affect, presence of psychosis, and evaluation of insight and judgment. It is not a substitute for the Folstein MMSE.