Neuropsychological Evaluation of the Older Adult: A Clinician's Guidebook / Edition 1

by Joanne Green

Overview

One of the largest patient populations seen by neuropsychologists are older adults suffering from problems associated with aging. Further, the proportion of the population aged 65 and above is rising rapidly. This book provides a guide to neuropsychological clinicians increasingly called upon to assess this population. The book details in a step-by-step fashion the phases and considerations in performing a neuropsychological assessment of an older patient. It covers procedural details including review of patient's medical records, clinical interview, formal testing, interpretation of test scores, addressing referral questions, and preparing an evaluation report.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780122981906
Publisher:	Elsevier Science
Publication date:	03/16/2000
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. Green is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurology at the Emory University School of Medicine. She is Chief Neuropsychologist of the Emory Alzheimer's Disease Center at Wesley Woods Health Center, and of the Movement Disorders Program. She has been actively involved in clinical work, research, and teaching on the neuropsychology of older adults for over ten years. She has authored or co-authored over thirty research articles and chapters related to normal and abnormal cognition, with a focus on Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Table of Contents

Activities Preceding Patient Arrival
The Clinical Interview
General Principles and Guidelines for Formal Testing
Evaluation of General Intellectual Function, Attention, Executive Function, Verbal Abilities, and Visuospatial and Visuoconstructive Abilities
Memory Evaluation in Older Adults
Neuropsychological Profiles of Common Disorders Affecting Older Adults I: Alzheimer's Disease, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration
Neuropsychological Profiles II: Vascular disease, Dementia with Lewy Bodies
Neuropsychological Profiles III: Parkinsonian Disorders, Corticobasal Degeneration, Huntington's Disease
Neuropsychological Profiles IV: Traumatic Brain Injury, Substance-Related Disorders, Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, Metabolic and Toxic Disorders
Assessment of Depression during the Neuropsychological Evaluation
Organizing and Interpreting Test Findings
Writing the Evaluation Report
Providing Feedback and Planning Follow-up Services

Editorial Reviews

"This book gives comprehensive and thorough up to date coverage of this topic... The author is to be congratulated on producing a book which travels well outside the North American context in which it was written... The book is soundly based in current research and theory... but at the same time conveys a strong sense of clinical experience and wisdom. The reader will not find here a defence of the contribution of of neuropsychology to the management of cognitive disorders in older people, but a better account of the state of the art would be difficult to imagine." —JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY, NEUROSURGERY, AND PSYCHIATRY

From the Publisher

Demographic trends ensure growing public health concerns over dementia. Green (neurology, Wesley Woods Geriatric Center, Emory U. School of Medicine) provides a framework and specific clinical guidelines for professionals assessing older patients for cognitive abnormalities. She discusses patient referrals, formal testing, writing evaluation reports, providing feedback, planning follow-up services, and profiles of the major neuropsychological disorders affecting older adults. Appendices include forms (for evaluation referral, informed consent, neuropsychology data summary, evaluation report, interview, and behavioral observations); patient cases; and basic brain neuroanatomy. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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