21 September is World Alzheimer’s Day, the focus of World Alzheimer’s Month celebrated in September! This global initiative aims to raise awareness, recognise the impact, reduce stigma, and support those that have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, the most common form of dementia.
A progressive degenerative brain syndrome, Alzheimer’s is a non-curable disorder that results in memory loss, difficulty in understanding what people are saying, increasing strain in performing previously routine tasks, and as the syndrome progresses, personality and mood changes.
JVR Psychometrics offers a number of well-known assessments that can aid practitioners in their diagnosis of this disorder.
- Ravens Progressive Matrices – as a non-verbal measure, these Matrices (especially the CPM) works very well with individuals who are not proficient or comfortable communicating in English.
- WAIS-IV® SA – one of the most respected cognitive ability measures, the WAIS-IV provides insights into your client’s verbal comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed.
- Brief Neuropsychological Cognitive Examination (BNCE) – as the name suggests, this is a great screening tool that assesses working memory, language, orientation and attention, for when you’re not sure whether your client has a form of dementia or another executive functioning disorder.
- Rey Complex Figure Test and Recognition Trial (RCFT) – focusing exclusively on recall and recognition memory and processing speed, this assessment is ideal for differentiating between clients that can still live independently and those that may require aid.
- Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) – providing the most comprehensive view of the client, this is both a self- and other (children, spouse, caregiver) report on memory and thought problems, daily living functionality, behaviour concerns as well as personal strengths.
- Vineland-3 – enables you to assess communication, socialisation and daily living skills. (Motor Skills and Maladaptive Behaviour are also optional scales)
