Evaluation of the usefulness of a paper–pencil group cognitive assessment for older adults in the community

Abstract

Abstract Background As the older population increases, the need for early detection of cognitive decline is also increasing. In this study, we examined whether our paper–pencil type group examination for cognitive assessment (PAPLICA) could detect the effects of years of education and aging. Methods PAPLICA was conducted on 829 older people. One examiner conducted the test on a group of approxmately 10–20 people in approximately 25 minutes. Participants were briefed on tackling the issues projected on the projector, and their answers were recorded in a response booklet. Results An independent samples t-test was performed for years of education, and ANCOVA was performed for aging. Analysis results indicate that the newer tests were generally able to detect the effects of years of education and aging, but the detection of the effects of aging varied from test to test. Conclusions The PAPLICA, similar to other neuropsychological tests, was able to detect the effects of years of education and aging. Future testing should be conducted on different demographics to identify the differences in patterns of cognitive decline.