Testing for Dementia

• 1). A physical examination is crucial in the diagnosis of dementia. The tests conducted include thyroid function, toxicology, blood cell count, and serum evaluations. Other tests may also be included, such as electrocardiography.
  
  
• 2). Since memory impairment is an early warning of dementia, some simple tests can determine whether memory loss has occurred. If a subject cannot repeat the names of three or four objects mentioned a few minutes earlier, then such memory loss is strongly indicated.
  
  
• 3). Another simple test involves the detection of apraxia (loss of motor ability). Having the subject demonstrate in mime how she would perform a certain task (cut paper with scissors, for example) might reveal an inability to use motor skills effectively.
  
  
• 4). To detect aphasia (loss of verbal ability), the subject can be asked simply to name objects in her environment.
  
  
• 5). Agnosia (loss of sensory perception) can be detected by having the subject identify familiar items by touch alone. She should be able to recognize, for example, that she is holding a spoon in her hand (barring neural damage, of course) even if she is unable to see it.
  
  
• 6). For general perception, the subject might be asked what day of the week it is, or who the president of the United States is (assuming that she would have had adequate exposure to such information).
  
  
• 7). To assess what is known as "executive functioning," have the subject execute a simple sequence of actions, such as arranging cards in numerical order. The inability to conceptualize and perform such a task is often a symptom of dementia.