Neuropsychological assessment of cognitively impaired Indian elderly: Challenges and implications

Abstract

Cognitive impairment in elderly is a challenging issue which needs proper attention, care and management. Neuropsychological assessments (NA) are those authentic measures that help not only in narrowing down the differential diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction, but also assist in choosing treatment modalities, evaluating the efficacy of an intervention and to assess outcome. NA may also define the patient′s functional limitations or cognitive strengths. Therefore, appropriate application of NA can improve the quality of care and management of an elderly with cognitive impairment. NA has many applications as it provides full understanding about the individual and his environment. However, in India there are many challenging issues regarding Na, which are discussed in the present article.

Keywords

• Challenging issues
• cognition
• cognitive impairment
• neuropsychological assessment
• strategies