Possibility of Cognitive Improvement in Severe Dementia: A Case Series Assessed by Cognitive Test for Severe Dementia

Hiroyuki Tanaka ； Yuma Nagata ； Daiki Ishimaru ； Yasuhiro Ogawa ； Keita Fukuhara ； Takashi Nishikawa

《International Journal of Gerontology》 15卷2期 (2021/04) Pp. 174-176

https://doi.org/10.6890/IJGE.202104_15(2).0017

摘要

Improvements in the cognitive function of patients with severe dementia may be overlooked if the tests being used have low sensitivity. The Cognitive Test for Severe Dementia (CTSD) that we previously developed is sensitive to such changes. Here, we report four severe dementia subjects whose cognitive function improved, assessed by CTSD as ＂Minimal Detectable Change＂ after one year of daily clinical intervention. Comparably, their Mini-Mental State Examination scores remained unchanged. With the use of a test tailor-made for severe dementia such as the CTSD, it is also possible to appreciate the effects of daily clinical treatment and rehabilitation better and in greater detail. ＂Clinically significant cognitive improvement can be quantified by devising interventions and outcome measures, even in severe stage dementia＂.

關鍵字

dementia ； cognitive test ； cognitive function