Development of an objective assessment of cognitive function in older people

Aim: To develop a realistic funding bid to enable the development of a statistical model that can predict a validated measure of cognitive function (the MoCA score [15]) from frequency components of standing balance measures and other physical measures to sufficient accuracy for triage of suspected dementia on older people and to implement this in practice.
Objectives:
• Undertake pilot studies in the UK to establish proof of concept for the enhanced model
• Collaborate with partners at two Australian Universities with expertise in balance measures (University of Sunshine Coast) and dementia care (University of Sunshine Coast and La Trobe University) to develop a funding bid to the Australian NHMRC for a full study to validate the model and develop it for commercialisation and implementation in practice.

In the UK, the usual diagnosis pathway is for people concerned about memory loss or other cognitive symptoms to present to their GP (or be persuaded to by their family). A clinical triage tool such as the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) is then usually applied. If the possibility of dementia is confirmed then a referral is usually made to a specialist memory clinic for more in-depth investigations and diagnosis. However, there is evidence that the initial assessment tools can be distressing for the recipient with people reporting a loss of dignity and feeling stupid. The necessity for a standardised approach to the test, with no prompting or help from the interviewer, does not facilitate good communication practice. This project investigates the use of measurements of standing balance and salivary biomarkers to predict cognitive ability for initial triage of suspected dementia. Thiese are simple tests which do not require answering questions and performing cognitive tasks and therefore does not present barriers to its use with older people.