96% found this document useful (26 votes)
977 views23 pages

Handbook On The Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia (Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology 2) - , 978-1461491408

Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia (Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology 2) Full PDF DOCX Download. ISBN-13: 978-1461491408.

Uploaded by

marcelabobkerq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
96% found this document useful (26 votes)
977 views23 pages

Handbook On The Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia (Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology 2) - , 978-1461491408

Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia (Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology 2) Full PDF DOCX Download. ISBN-13: 978-1461491408.

Uploaded by

marcelabobkerq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 23

Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia

(Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology 2)

Visit the link below to download the full version of this book:
https://cheaptodownload.com/product/handbook-on-the-neuropsychology-of-aging-and
-dementia-clinical-handbooks-in-neuropsychology-2-full-pdf-docx-download/
Editors
Lisa D. Ravdin and Heather L. Katzen

Handbook on the Neuropsychology of


Aging and Dementia
2nd ed. 2019
Editors
Lisa D. Ravdin
Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Heather L. Katzen
Department of Neurology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

ISSN 2625-266X e-ISSN 2625-2678


Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology
ISBN 978-3-319-93496-9 e-ISBN 978-3-319-93497-6
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93497-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018953776

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the


Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned,
speci ically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on micro ilms or in any other
physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval,
electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.

The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks,


service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the
absence of a speci ic statement, that such names are exempt from the
relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general
use.

The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the
advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate
at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the
editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material
contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been
made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional
claims in published maps and institutional af iliations.

This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer


Nature Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham,
Switzerland
Preface
We are excited to bring you this revised and expanded version of the
Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia , with the
addition of 14 new chapters covering a wide range of topics of practical
interest to clinical neuropsychologists working with older adults, as
well as updated versions of the original chapters. This contribution to
the Clinical Handbook in Neuropsychology series (Series Editor, William
B. Barr) was envisioned as a departure from typical textbooks by
focusing on concrete clinical descriptions and detailed instructions
regarding how neuropsychologists evaluate various patient conditions.
We asked contributing authors to help us create a “How to” book for
neuropsychologists, encouraging experts to describe how they handle
their topic of interest in their daily work, asking them to provide the
reader with valuable tips to help the reader readily digest the skillful
essentials of clinical practice that come from experience.
New chapters expand the breath of topics covered and include
expert advice on itness for duty evaluations, family systems and
feedback, identifying elder abuse, assessing the inpatient, postoperative
cognitive decline, substance use, pain, performance validity testing,
management of behavioral symptoms, cognitive training and
rehabilitation, epilepsy, primary progressive aphasia, assessment of
patients being evaluated for mechanical circulatory support, and a
thoughtful contribution on chronic traumatic brain injury. There’s a
wealth of useful information for those preparing for board certi ication
as well as essential tips that can bene it even the seasoned practitioner.
We certainly feel we learned a lot by preparing this work.
The Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia,
Second edition is a unique work that provides clinicians with expert
guidance and a hands-on approach to neuropsychological practice with
older adults. The authors of each chapter are expert practitioners,
recognized by their peers as opinion leaders on their chosen chapter
topics. The book is divided into three parts: Part I addresses
“Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults: The Fundamentals,”
highlighting issues relevant to what to address in the intake interview
all the way to insightful guidance on the feedback session. Part II
attends to “Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults: Special
Considerations/Common Issues.” In this section, we focused on
bringing you expert guidance on common considerations in the aging
population, including issues such as postoperative cognitive decline,
itness for duty, and management of behavioral symptoms in dementia.
In Part III, “Late Life Cognitive Disorders,” experts provide insights on
key elements relevant to evaluating a speci ic population or disease
state. Suggested test batteries as well as a user-friendly compilation of
“clinical pearls” at the end of each chapter consist of expert tips and key
take-home messages for that topic.
Once again, we found that contributing authors embraced the
approach of providing insightful commentary based on clinical
experience, and we appreciate the time they committed to the
successful completion of this work. We are grateful for the guidance
and support provided by our publisher, speci ically individuals such as
Janice Stern and Christina Tuballes, and special thanks to Katherine
Chabalko for stepping in and overseeing this project through to
completion. Thank you Bill Barr for the opportunity to contribute this
volume to the Handbook series, and thanks to Hannah Deutsch for her
assistance with administrative tasks related to the preparation of the
inal product.
Lisa D. Ravdin
Heather L. Katzen
New York, NY, USA, Miami, FL, USA
Contents
Part I Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults: The
Fundamentals
1 Special Considerations for the Neuropsychological Interview
with Older Adults
Stephanie Assuras and Bonnie Levin
2 Consideration of Cognitive Reserve
Stephanie Cosentino and Yaakov Stern
3 Neuropsychological Evaluation of Culturally/Linguistically
Diverse Older Adults
Monica Rivera Mindt, Alyssa Arentoft, Kelly Coulehan,
Angela C. Summers, Kayla Tureson, Maral Aghvinian and
Desiree A. Byrd
4 Assessment of Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults
Dimitris N. Kiosses and Patricia Marino
5 The Assessment of Change: Serial Assessments in Dementia
Evaluations
Gordon J. Chelune and Kevin Duff
6 Performance Validity Testing in an Older Adult Population:
Considerations for Clinical Practice
Richard L. Laurent, Douglas M. Whiteside and Michael R. Basso
7 Inpatient Neuropsychological Assessment in Older Adults
Marykay A. Pavol
8 Clinical Neuropsychology Practice and the Medicare Patient
Edward A. Peck III and Lucien W. Roberts III
9 The Multigenerational Family System in Dementia: Assessment
and Feedback
Karen Postal
Part II Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults: Special
Considerations/Common Issues
10 Medications and Cognition in Older Adults
Gregg L. Caporaso
11 Sleep and Aging
Matthew R. Ebben
12 Differential Diagnosis of Depression and Dementia
Lauren L. Drag and Linas A. Bieliauskas
13 Elder Abuse Identi ication and Intervention
S. Duke Han, Bonnie J. Olsen and Laura A. Mosqueda
14 Prevention of Cognitive Decline
Max Lugavere, Alon Seifan and Richard S. Isaacson
15 Driving Evaluation in Older Adults
Kevin J. Manning, Peggy P. Barco and Maria T. Schultheis
16 Capacity Evaluations in Older Adults: Neuropsychological
Perspectives
Joel E. Morgan, Bernice A. Marcopulos and Emily F. Matusz
17 Fitness for Duty Examinations
Michael Chafetz
18 Clinical Assessment of Postoperative Cognitive Decline
Suzan Uysal and David L. Reich
19 Substance Related Cognitive Dysfunction in Aging
Dora Kanellopoulos and Pablo Sanchez-Barranco
20 Pain in Dementia
Rachel K. Bieu and Joseph F. Kulas
21 Neuropsychological Assessment and Management of Older
Adults with Multiple Somatic Symptoms
Greg J. Lamberty and Kimberly K. Bares
22 After the Diagnosis of Dementia: Considerations in Disease
Management
Steven Hoover and Mary Sano
23 Management of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms in
Dementia
Michelle Braun
24 Cognitive Training and Rehabilitation in Aging and Dementia
H. Allison Bender and Jessica Spat-Lemus
25 Environmental Design for Cognitive Decline
Rosemary Bakker
26 Epilepsy and Aging
Anna Rita Giovagnoli
27 Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults with a History
of Cancer
Mariana E. Bradshaw and Jeffrey S. Wefel
Part III Late Life Cognitive Disorders
28 Differentiating Mild Cognitive Impairment and Cognitive
Changes of Normal Aging
Caterina B. Mosti, Lauren A. Rog and Joseph W. Fink
29 Assessment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Rosie E. Curiel, Arlene Raffo and David A. Loewenstein
30 Vascular Cognitive Impairment
Robert Paul and Lauren Salminen
31 Primary Progressive Aphasia
Sara J. Swanson, Sara B. Pillay, Kathleen H. Elverman and
Laura Glass Um leet
32 Assessment in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation
George M. Cuesta and Lisa Gettings
33 Assessment of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia
Amanda K. LaMarre and Joel H. Kramer
34 Movement Disorders with Dementia in Older Adults
Alexander I. Trö ster and Angela Abbott
35 Neuropsychological Considerations for Parkinson’s Disease
Patients Being Considered for Surgical Intervention with Deep
Brain Stimulation
Paul J. Mattis, Chaya B. Fridman and Erica Meltzer
36 Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus
Lisa D. Ravdin, Melanie Lucas and Heather L. Katzen
37 Episodic and Semantic Memory Disorders
Russell M. Bauer, Leslie Gaynor, Charles Moreno and Taylor Kuhn
38 Evaluation of Comorbid Epilepsy and Dementia
Kelly Coulehan and H. Allison Bender
39 Evaluating Cognition in Patients with Chronic Obstructive
Pulmonary Disease
Karin F. Hoth and Elizabeth Kozora
40 Neuropsychological Assessment of Adults Being Considered for
Mechanical Circulatory Support
Chris E. Morrison and Danny M. Tam
41 Hepatic Encephalopathy
Heidi Musgrave and Robin C. Hilsabeck
42 Late-Onset Schizophrenia
Tracy D. Vannorsdall and David J. Schretlen
43 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy
William B. Barr and Stella Karantzoulis
Index
Contributors
Angela Abbott
Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Barrow Neurological Institute,
Phoenix, AZ, USA

Maral Aghvinian
Department of Psychology, California State University, Northridge,
Northridge, CA, USA

H. Allison Bender
Mount Sinai Epilepsy Center, New York, NY, USA

Alyssa Arentoft
Department of Psychology, California State University, Northridge,
Northridge, CA, USA

Stephanie Assuras
Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New
York, NY, USA

Rosemary Bakker
Division of Geriatrics, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical
College, New York, NY, USA

Peggy P. Barco
Washington University School of Medicine, Programs in Occupational
Therapy and Internal Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA

Kimberly K. Bares
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA

William B. Barr
Departments of Neurology & Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New
York, NY, USA

Michael R. Basso
Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, USA
Russell M. Bauer
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, USA

Linas A. Bieliauskas
Neuropsychology Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of
Michigan Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Rachel K. Bieu
Baptist Behavioral Health, Baptist Medical Center, Jacksonville, FL, USA

Mariana E. Bradshaw
Section of Neuropsychology, Department of Neuro-Oncology, University
of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Michelle Braun
Ascension – Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, Department of Neurology
and Neurosurgery, Racine, WI, USA

Desiree A. Byrd
Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,
New York, NY, USA

Gregg L. Caporaso
Geneva, Switzerland

Michael Chafetz
Algiers Neurobehavioral Resource, LLC, New Orleans, LA, USA

Gordon J. Chelune
Department of Neurology, Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and
Research, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Stephanie Cosentino
Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center,
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain,
and Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center,
New York, NY, USA
Kelly Coulehan
Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,
New York, NY, USA
Mount Sinai Epilepsy Center, New York, NY, USA

George M. Cuesta
New York Harbor Healthcare System, Veterans Health Administration,
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, New York, NY, USA
Department of Psychiatry, New York University Langone Medical
Center, New York, NY, USA

Rosie E. Curiel
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of
Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

Lauren L. Drag
Neuropsychology Clinic, Department of Neurology and Neurological
Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA

Kevin Duff
Department of Neurology, Center for Alzheimer’s Care, Imaging and
Research, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

S. Duke Han
Department of Family Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine,
Alhambra, CA, USA
Department of Neurology, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles,
CA, USA
Department of Psychology, USC Dornsife College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
USC School of Gerontology, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Matthew R. Ebben
Department of Neurology and Neuroscience, Center for Sleep Medicine,
New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, New
York, NY, USA

Kathleen H. Elverman
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Joseph W. Fink
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience,
Neuropsychology Service, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

Chaya B. Fridman
Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Leslie Gaynor
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, USA

Lisa Gettings
New York Harbor Healthcare System, Veterans Health Administration,
United States Department of Veterans Affairs, New York, NY, USA

Anna Rita Giovagnoli


Department of Diagnostics and Applied Technology, Fondazione IRCCS
Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy

Robin C. Hilsabeck
Department of Neurology, Dell Medical School, University of Texas –
Austin, Austin, TX, USA

Steven Hoover
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
NY, USA

Karin F. Hoth
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA

Richard S. Isaacson
Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Dora Kanellopoulos
Weill Cornell Medicine, Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry, New York, NY,
USA
Stella Karantzoulis
Modern Brain Center, New York, NY, USA

Heather L. Katzen
Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, University of
Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

Dimitris N. Kiosses
Department of Psychiatry, Weill-Cornell Institute of Geriatric
Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, New York, NY, USA

Elizabeth Kozora
Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA
Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology, University of Colorado
School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA

Joel H. Kramer
University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

Taylor Kuhn
Semel Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA,
USA

Joseph F. Kulas
Veterans Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

Amanda K. LaMarre
Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver,
BC, Canada

Greg J. Lamberty
Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, USA

Richard L. Laurent
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics,
Iowa City, IA, USA
Bonnie Levin
Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, University of
Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

David A. Loewenstein
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of
Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

Melanie Lucas
Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY,
USA
Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, NY,
USA

Max Lugavere
Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Kevin J. Manning
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry,
Farmington, CT, USA

Bernice A. Marcopulos
Department of Graduate Psychology, James Madison University,
Harrisonburg, VA, USA
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of
Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA

Patricia Marino
Department of Psychiatry, Weill-Cornell Institute of Geriatric
Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, New York, NY, USA

Paul J. Mattis
Center for Neurosciences, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research,
Manhasset, NY, USA
Department of Neurology, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset,
NY, USA

Emily F. Matusz
Department of Graduate Psychology, James Madison University,
Harrisonburg, VA, USA

Erica Meltzer
Department of Neurology, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset,
NY, USA

Monica Rivera Mindt


Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA
Department of Neurology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,
New York, NY, USA

Charles Moreno
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, USA

Joel E. Morgan
Independent Practice, Morristown, NJ, USA

Chris E. Morrison
NYU Langone Medical Center, Department of Neurology, New York, NY,
USA

Laura A. Mosqueda
Department of Family Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine,
Alhambra, CA, USA
USC School of Gerontology, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Caterina B. Mosti
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

Heidi Musgrave
Fort Wayne Medical Education Program, Fort Wayne, IN, USA
Neuropsychological Consultants Inc., Fort Wayne, IN, USA

Bonnie J. Olsen
Department of Family Medicine, USC Keck School of Medicine,
Alhambra, CA, USA
Robert Paul
Department of Psychological Sciences, Division of Behavioral
Neurosciences, Missouri Institute of Mental Health, St. Louis, MO, USA

Marykay A. Pavol
Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New
York, NY, USA

Edward A. Peck III


Neuropsychological Services of Virginia, Inc, Richmond, VA, USA

Sara B. Pillay
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Karen Postal
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Arlene Raffo
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of
Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

Lisa D. Ravdin
Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York-
Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA

David L. Reich
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

Lucien W. Roberts III


Neuropsychological Services of Virginia, Inc, Richmond, VA, USA

Lauren A. Rog
Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Neuropsychology Service, Chicago, IL,
USA

Lauren Salminen
Imaging Genetics Center, Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics
Institute, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA

Pablo Sanchez-Barranco
Weill Cornell Medicine, Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry, New York, NY,
USA

Mary Sano
Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
NY, USA
James J Peters Veterans Administration Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA

David J. Schretlen
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science,
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Maria T. Schultheis
Department of Psychology and Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Alon Seifan
Department of Neurology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Jessica Spat-Lemus
Weill Cornell Brain and Spine Center, New York, NY, USA

Yaakov Stern
Cognitive Neuroscience Division of the Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center,
Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain,
and Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center,
New York, NY, USA

Angela C. Summers
Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

Sara J. Swanson
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Danny M. Tam
Manhattan Campus – Veteran’s Administration New York Harbor Health
Care System, Psychology Division, New York, NY, USA

Alexander I. Tröster
Department of Clinical Neuropsychology, Barrow Neurological Institute,
Phoenix, AZ, USA

Kayla Tureson
Department of Psychology, Fordham University, New York, NY, USA

Laura Glass Um leet


Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Suzan Uysal
Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

Tracy D. Vannorsdall
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Jeffrey S. Wefel
Section of Neuropsychology, Department of Neuro-Oncology, University
of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA

Douglas M. Whiteside
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics,
Iowa City, IA, USA
Part I
Neuropsychological Assessment of
Older Adults: The Fundamentals
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Lisa D. Ravdin and Heather L. Katzen (eds.), Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and
Dementia, Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93497-6_1

1. Special Considerations for the


Neuropsychological Interview with
Older Adults
Stephanie Assuras1 and Bonnie Levin2

(1) Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center,


New York, NY, USA
(2) Division of Neuropsychology, Department of Neurology, University
of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA

Stephanie Assuras (Corresponding author)


Email: [email protected]

Bonnie Levin
Email: [email protected]

Keywords Neuropsychological interview – Cognitive complaints –


Somatic/sensory/motor symptoms – Emotional functioning – Activities
of daily living – Functional capacity – Collateral information – Medical
history – Social history

The neuropsychological interview presents a unique opportunity to


gather essential data that can be used to guide the testing process and
assist in formulating a differential diagnosis. A comprehensive
interview not only provides important background information that
cannot be obtained from psychometric testing, but it also offers an
opportunity for the examiner to gather critical behavioral observations
that are often witnessed only in a less-structured setting. Although
interviews vary in their focus and depth, they provide a framework
from which examiners can assess demographic and referral
information, data pertaining to presenting complaints and symptom
progression, information regarding activities of daily living, pertinent
environmental risk factors, and relevant background information
regarding past medical, developmental, educational, and psychosocial
history. The interview also offers the opportunity to assess the
caregiver’s perspective of the patient’s cognitive status, additional
stressors, and available resources that can be used to guide the
treatment recommendations. Thus, gathering information from a
collateral source should be a key component of the clinical interview
when possible.

Demographic and Referral Information


The irst questions posed by the examiner will set the tone for the rest
of the interview. Asking a patient to provide demographic information
can be a good way to begin establishing rapport. In addition to essential
information such as one’s name, date of birth, handedness, gender,
educational level, and living arrangement, patients should also explain
in their own words, whenever possible, who referred them for testing
and the reason for the referral. This is really the irst opportunity that
the examiner will have to assess the level of insight and ability to
formulate one’s thoughts. Other important questions that should be
addressed before testing begins are medication regimen; their primary
language and, when applicable, secondary language; and whether the
patient requires glasses, hearing assistive devices, and/or ambulatory
assistance.

Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Complaints


One goal of the interview is to document the speci ics of the complaints
and the time course of symptoms. There are several different
approaches used to evaluate current physical, cognitive, and emotional
complaints. These include (1) having the patient or caregiver ill out a
structured questionnaire, (2) asking the patient to elaborate on each of

You might also like