SAGE: A Test to Detect Signs of Alzheimer's and Dementia
wexnermedical.osu.edu
wexnermedical.osu.edu
The latest study concerning SAGE evaluated[1] its effectiveness as a cognitive screening assessment tool in community settings. Researchers evaluated over 1,000 participants over the age of 50 from 45 community events. The scores on the test range from 22 — indicating normal cognition — to 15 — signifying mild cognitive impairment — and a score below 14 may indicate the presence of dementia. The study found that when the test was given to its participants from over 45 different events:
- The average score for SAGE was 17.8%
- 71.6% of the people that took the test had normal cognition
- 10.4% had mild cognitive impairment
- 18% had dementia
[1] https://www.alzheimers.net/1-7-15-non-invasive-method-detect...
We dont even know whats a nickel or a quarter...
There is a question on naming 12 different things in a kitchen/countries (also easier -- no time limit, no constraint on the first letter).
"The test has a sensitivity of 79 percent and a false positive rate of 5 percent in detecting cognitive impairment from normal subjects." btw, you don't need the perfect score to be considered "normal" by the test.
My only experience was with my mother, who recently passed away from a stroke. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her early 60s.
I have no trouble believing this easy test would be impossibly hard for someone with dementia, even in the early stages. At the beginning, my mom seemed fine to anyone she'd meet, yet would routinely not know what day of the week it was. She'd cover for it by saying things like "since I don't work, every day seems like Saturday". She probably would have failed the test right there.
An online version could also hide information and ask you to recall it, or time how long tasks take.
Maybe in 20 years an online version will be better.