Evaluation of Cognitive Screening of Older People Admitted to Mackay Base Hospital

Abstract

Dementia, as the fourth leading cause of death in 2007 per the Australian Bureau of Statistics, is considered to be a significant illness that affects the physical, mental, social and economic aspects of an individual. Early identification, timely diagnosis, better care and coordination of services are required to improve the quality of life. To determine the prevalence of cognitive impairment in the older persons’ population in a general hospital to aid timely diagnosis of dementia and determine the effect on length of stay in hospital due to cognitive impairment.