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What is it about ?
Our bodies and brains degrade with age. This can manifest itself at some point in physical and mental deterioration, usually in old age. There are different scales to assess the physical and intellectual (cognitive) abilities of older people. The scale used depends on the person concerned (eg elderly person living at home or in a nursing home) and on what needs to be assessed (eg assessment of the need for care or the outcome of treatment).
How is it going ?
Usually, these scales are questionnaires assessing activities or feelings. The person may also be asked to perform intellectual tasks, such as drawing a picture or repeating a series of numbers. A score is assigned to each answer. At the end of the test, all the scores are added up. The higher the score, the better the physical and intellectual abilities of the person.
What are the main rating scales?
Barthel scale which assesses autonomy and mobility
The Barthel scale measures physical capacities on the basis of 10 activities: eating, moving from bed to chair and back, carrying out personal care (face, hair, teeth, shaving), using the toilet, taking a bath, walking on a level surface, going up and down stairs, dressing and undressing, having a bowel movement and urinating. A score is assigned to each activity. At the end of the test, all the scores are added up. A final score of 0 to 4 means total dependence; a maximum score of 20 means that the person is completely independent.
Lawton’s Instrumental Activities in Daily Life (AIVQ) Scale
The Lawton AIVQ scale assesses the ability to perform daily instrumental activities and gives the physician an idea of the care needs of an elderly person living at home. This scale assesses 8 instrumental activities: using the phone, shopping, preparing meals yourself, doing household chores, doing laundry and ironing, using your own means of transport or public transport, managing your medicines and finances . A score of 8 indicates that the person is perfectly independent for the instrumental activities of daily living; a score of 0 indicates that the person is completely dependent.
Folstein test or MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination)
The MMSE allows the doctor to have a good idea of the intellectual capacities (cognitive functioning) of the elderly person. The test assesses orientation skills, short-term memory and language, among other things, with the aim of detecting signs of incipient dementia. If dementia is suspected (score less than 24 out of 30), more in-depth testing will be done.
Geriatric Depression Screening Scale
The Geriatric Depression Screening Scale is a list of 30 questions about everyday mood, attitudes, and feelings, which the respondent should answer with a yes or no. The purpose of this test is to detect depression. At the end of the test, all the scores are added up. A score of 0 to 10 is normal; a score of 11 to 20 indicates mild depression, and a score of 21 to 30 indicates severe depression.
What can you do ?
If you notice that the physical or mental capacities of a loved one are decreasing or that they are experiencing more psychological difficulties, contact their general practitioner. He will use the appropriate scale to better assess the situation.
Source
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