Older Adults’ Attitudes towards Cognitive Testing: Moving towards Person-Centeredness

Abstract

Background: Research on person-centered cognitive testing is beginning to emerge. The current study is the first to focus on eliciting concrete preferences around the test experience. Methods: Adults ≥50 years old completed the Attitudes Around Cognitive Testing (AACT) questionnaire on mturk.com. AACT elicits preferences for cognitive tests, the importance attributed to having choices, and willingness to engage in testing. Results: Data are reported for 289 respondents. The proportion of participants expressing preferences varied by domain (modality [49.5%], location [47.2%], company [80.1%], result delivery [78.3–89.7%]). Importance ratings for all domains had a median of 4 and a range of 1–5 using a Likert scale of agreement. Most participants (85.5%) were willing to engage in testing. Conclusion: Older adults have preferences for cognitive tests, especially with delivery of results.

Keywords

• Cognitive testing
• Person-centered care
• Attitudes
• Preferences
• Willingness