On the number of automated timed manual performance trials to administer

A cognitive and physical performance assessment of retirees entering a continuing care retirement community: the Moorings Assessment Protocol

Moorings Park Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) screened 267 applicants (115 males; 152 females; mean age 80.22 years) using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the 7-Minute Screen, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), and the Physical Performance Test (PPT). They compared mean scores across admission/nonadmission groups to determine the extent to which cognitively impaired persons were effectively redirected from independent living settings inadequate for their needs. Groups differed (p < .05) on 21 test items/scores, including subscales of the 7-Minute Screen. The nonadmission group underperformed the admission group and healthy controls from earlier research, and outscored persons with Alzheimer's disease on all 7-Minute Screen subscales. Researchers concluded that geriatricians had effectively identified those with dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and placed them into supervised settings more appropriate to their clinical and social needs.

Functional status and the elderly cancer patient

Evaluation of functional status plays a unique role in the assessment of older cancer patients. While performance status has been the traditional method for oncologists to assess the impact of a cancer patient's disease, older cancer patients may require a more thorough evaluation of their functional status. Evaluation of functional status provides information that can predict outcomes and may provide information that can be utilized to improve function. Functional status evaluation can be useful throughout the patient's illness, at the initial diagnostic evaluation, for determining appropriate therapies, for the monitoring of therapeutic effect and finally in the palliative phase. There are many different methods available to assess functional status. Individual assessment of functional status in the context of a geriatric assessment may be an important component of the care older cancer patients receive.