Canadian Study of Health and Aging

Abstract

The Canadian Study of Health and Aging includes 18 centres, and all provinces are represented. The objectives of the study are: to estimate the prevalence of dementias, especially Alzheimer''s disease; to study risk factors for Alzheimer''s disease; to describe patterns of caring and to measure the burden on those who care for people with dementia; and to create a data base for future research. A representative sample of 10,250 Canadians aged 65 or over are recruited, including 9,000 living at home and 1,250 in institutions. Participants are screened for cognitive impairment. Those who are considered to be cognitively impaired (and an equal number who are not) are invited to undergo a clinical examination including a battery of neuropsychological tests. Proxies for the cases and controls complete a risk factor questionnaire; caregivers complete a separate questionnaire. Results of the pilot study are discussed.

Comparing the Mini-Mental State Examination and the modified Mini-Mental State Examination in the detection of mild cognitive impairment in older adults

“…That is, McDowell and colleagues (1997) examined a Canadian community sample with intact cognition or dementia/CIND, whereas we investigated a U.S. clinical sample who was CI or MCI. Not surprisingly, our MCI cut-off values of <28/30 (MMSE) and <95/100 (3MS) are higher than those commonly used to identify dementia using the MMSE (<24/30; Lezak et al, 2012) and to screen for cognitive impairment in community samples using the 3MS (<78/100; Eastwood et al, 1992). Indeed, other studies have also supported sample-dependent cut-off values.…”

Does Self‐Rated Health Predict Survival in Older Persons with Cognitive Impairment?

“…The following covariates were examined as potential confounding and effect‐modifying factors in the relationship between SRH and survival: age, sex, number of chronic health conditions, cognitive status, marital status, years of education, and ADL impairment. Level of cognitive impairment was categorized as cognitively intact (3MS scores≥78), 17 mild to moderate impairment (3MS score=66–77), and severe impairment (3MS scores≤65). The division between the mild to moderate and severe categories was determined based primarily on the distribution of the scores in the sample, coupled with clinical input.…”

A Case Control Study of the Risks for Institutionalization of Elderly People in Nova Scotia

“…To determine the attitudes the elderly have towards their health they were asked the General Health Question 4…”