Psychological assessment of the elderly

Abstract

Abstract The proportion of the population over age 65 in the United States is projected to increase to 16% by 2020. As the proportion of the population over age 65 increases, the field of geropsychology continues to expand exponentially. Incorporated into geropsychology are issues related to the psychological assessment of the elderly, including the appropriate application and limitations of psychometric tools. The intent of this chapter is to present a context in which to understand the cognitive impact that occurs as a process of aging. First the normal aging process will be examined. The importance of gathering a complete clinical picture of premorbid and present functioning exclusive of cognitive abilities (e.g., medical conditions, family history, social adaptation, psychiatric history) will be outlined. Cognitive functioning among older patients, including methods of determining dementia will be presented. The principles of the neuropsychological assessment process for older adults, along with the purposes utilized by the assessment are highlighted. Typical differential diagnosis questions, such as Alzheimer’s disease versus depression as well as unique aspects of geriatric assessment are reviewed.