How Does The Sage Test Work
SAGE evaluates your thinking abilities by asking you questions related to language, reasoning, problem-solving, and memory.
Scharre explains that the questions cover a wide range of cognitive domains, especially those abilities that are early predictors of mild cognitive impairment.
SAGE measures cognitive function by assessing the following areas:
- How many nickels are in 60 cents?
- Write down the names of 12 different animals
In addition to the scored items on the test, SAGE asks questions about your medical history, such as “Have you suffered a stroke?” The test asks if youve had a family history of cognitive impairment. Youre also asked about any current symptoms you may be having, such as problems with memory, balance, or if you’ve experienced any personality changes. These answers can help your clinician identify possible causes of cognitive decline.
Take The Sage Test At Home
Anyone can take the SAGE test anytime. Its free and you can get it here on the Ohio State University website.
Print the test and take it with a pen or pencil. Theres no time limit, but most people finish in about 15 minutes.
Sample questions from the test:
- How many nickels are in 60 cents?
- You are buying $13.45 of groceries. How much change would you receive back from a $20 bill?
- Write down the names of 12 different animals.
- Draw a large face of a clock and place in the numbers.Position the hands for 10 minutes after 11 oclock. On your clock, label L for the long hand and S for the short hand.
Why Would Anyone Want An Early Alzheimers Diagnosis
The SAGE test is useful because it helps you understand if your concerns are something to be worried about.
If the results seem to indicate that there could be a problem, you might think theres no point in talking with the doctor because theres no cure for dementia.
The most important is that a treatable condition could be the cause of cognitive impairment. Finding out sooner means getting treatment ASAP to eliminate the cognitive symptoms.
If the cognitive impairment is caused by Alzheimers or dementia, a major benefit is that starting treatment early is far more effective in managing symptoms and delaying progression of the disease.
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Treatment For Memory Loss
The treatment for memory loss can vary depending on the exact cause. In most cases, where the cause is non-permanent, it might be as simple as changing the behavior that is causing your memory loss. For example, if lack of sleep is the main reason that youre super forgetful, you might want to try setting a routine for going to bed and getting up in the morning. For stress, anxiety, depression or an underactive thyroid, youll need to see a physician and get appropriate medical treatment to help.
How To Take It
Unlike other tests that charge a fee per use or require significant training for those who administer them, the SAGE test is both freely available and user-friendly. It can be taken in as little as 10 to 15 minutes .
It’s available online and in print versions you can access by going to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center site. You can take the test at any time on your own, or it may be administered by a healthcare provider.
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What Your Doctor Can Do
But you may want to talk to your doctor about your results.
She may want to do a physical exam or discuss your current medications.
There are many underlying health conditions that can contribute to memory loss.
There are also hundreds of medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, that cause memory loss.
Once these are ruled out, your doctor may want to do her own cognitive assessment.
She may administer the SLUMS, SAGE, MMSE, 6CIT, TYM, or Mini-Cog test in her office.
When To See Your Healthcare Provider
After taking the SAGE test at home, it’s important to bring a copy to your healthcare provider for evaluation. While the SAGE test does not diagnose any specific condition, the results can help your healthcare provider know if further evaluation is needed and provide a baseline score to compare with future scores.
Healthcare provider evaluation is recommended for anyone scoring below 17 points on the SAGE test.
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One Of The Challenges Of Entering Mid
Doctors at Torontos Baycrest Hospital saw the need for a private, science based test that adults could take unsupervised at home to help them answer the question: Is my memory normal or should I see my doctor?
The Cogniciti test works like an online thermometer for the mind. The web-based cognitive test takes about 20 minutes to complete and is targeted for the 50-79 age bracket. Since its launch one year ago this May, its had 108,000 visits from 76,000 adults who have completed 34,000 assessments.
We spoke with Dr. Angela Troyer, Professional Practice Chief of Psychology and Program Director, Neuropsychology and Cognitive Health, at Baycrest Health Sciences in Toronto, and Michael Meagher, President of Cogniciti Inc. to discuss this test, and to answer our questions on memory loss and aging.
What Test-Takers Get
- Each of the test completers has received a report with their brain health score relative to adults of similar age/education.
- A yes/no answer to the question of whether a doctor visit is recommended.
- All site visitors, whether they complete a test or not, get access to a rich library of science-based brain health information and tools.
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When Should We Worry?
What Causes Dementia?
The most common causes of dementia are:
- Alzheimer disease
- Cardiovascular disease
- Lewy-body disease
- Frontotemporal dementia
Does A Stress or Trauma Harm Memory?
Why Take A Test For Dementia
It is crucial that the symptoms of memory loss are diagnosed as early as possible. This helps to get the best treatment possible. A do at home dementia test can help a person come to terms with the fact that they may be suffering from dementia.
By taking a simple do at home dementia test you should be able to determine if the person may have a problem with their memory. If they show signs if difficut during the test you should encourage them to seek further help fro their GP. There Doctor can then check for problems such as early stages of Alzheimers disease or dementia.
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Assessment For Dementia Usually Includes The Following:
Personal history
The doctor usually spends some time discussing your medical history and gathering information about your changes in memory and thinking.
Physical examination and laboratory tests
The symptoms of dementia can be due to a number of other possible causes, such as vitamin deficiency, infection, metabolic disorders and side effects from drugs.
These other causes are often easily treated.
Therefore, an early step in diagnosing dementia is to rule out these causes through a physical examination, blood tests and urine tests.
Routine laboratory tests used in the diagnosis of dementia include:
- Blood tests to investigate:
- Drug interactions and dosing problems
Cognitive testing
Cognitive tests are used to measure and evaluate cognitive, or thinking, functions such as memory, concentration, visual-spatial awareness, problem solving, counting and language skills.
Most doctors use short cognitive screening tests when assessing these functions. If more detailed testing is required you will be referred to a neuropsychologist a psychologist specialising in the assessment and measurement of cognitive function.
Cognitive tests are vital in the diagnosis of dementia and are often used to differentiate between types of dementia. They can also be used to assess mood and may help diagnose depression, which can cause symptoms similar to those of dementia.
> > > Best Memory Loss Solution Available
If youre experiencing memory loss, you should go to a doctor. Your doctor will perform a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. He or she will also ask you about your medication and any stress youre experiencing. After the exam, he or she will likely ask you to make an appointment with a neuropsychologist. If youre unable to recall the details of your doctor, you may want to consult another healthcare provider.
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Online Memory Test For Dementia
While there is no perfect memory loss remedy, there are several things that you can do to prevent it. First of all, exercising regularly can help keep your lungs in good shape. People who get regular exercise have better memories, and a regular exercise program can reduce stress. Additionally, exercising can help prevent memory loss by keeping your mind active. Here are some of the best ways to make your brain healthier and keep your mind sharp. Read on to learn more. Online Memory Test for Dementia
Common Causes Of Memory Loss
One of the most common causes of memory loss is age. Unfortunately, there isnt much you can do about getting older, but well be looking at things you can do to help treat age-related memory loss later on. There are other common reasons for memory loss. For the most part, these arent permanent and can almost always be effectively managed to get your memory back to normal.
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What You Can Do
At the same time, there is much that you can do to help your brain function its best.
Check out the brain-healthy lifestyle changes we discuss throughout our website.
Help your brain with the right foods, proper supplementation, stress reduction, and more.
Do brain exercises proven to improve short-term memory and other cognitive skills.
Then, take the memory test again in a few months to see if there is any improvement.
What Is Mild Cognitive Impairment
MCI is a condition characterized by a minor decline in mental abilities. Often these changes are noticeable to the person experiencing them or family members or close friends but they are not severe enough to interfere with normal daily life and activities.
According to the Alzheimers Association, approximately 15 to 20 percent of people age 65 or older have MCI.
People living with MCI are more likely to develop Alzheimers disease or other dementias. According to Mayo Clinic, studies suggest that around 10 to 15 percent of individuals with MCI go on to develop dementia each year.
Symptoms of MCI are often vague but may include the following:
- Memory loss forgetting certain words
- Forgetting important events, like appointments
- Losing your train of thought in conversation, or when reading a book or watching a movie
- Becoming disoriented in familiar surroundings
- Becoming more impulsive or showing poor judgement
MCI does not always lead to dementia. In some individuals MCI reverts to normal cognition and in others the condition stabilizes and they experience no further decline in cognition.
Currently there are no medications for MCI, but establishing an early diagnosis can be important in managing and treating symptoms as they progress.
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Overview / Words Of Caution
Several online tests can help families come closer to knowing whether a loved one suffers from Alzheimers disease or a related dementia. To be clear, these tests are not designed to give a diagnosis of Alzheimers. A diagnosis requires several medical experts, as well as expensive technology and potentially unpleasant procedures such as brain scans and spinal fluid extractions. Recent studies, in fact, have shown that dementia is often misclassified when using only the following tests.
A certain degree of forgetfulness is common to most aging individuals. Mild Cognitive Impairment is a condition which is more severe than normal memory decline associated with aging, but not so severe as Alzheimers. Online tests for dementia/Alzheimers should be adequate to help families distinguish between these conditions.
Before discussing the various options available to self-administer an Alzheimers test from the Internet, some words of caution are advised.
1. No online test can definitively tell if your loved one has Alzheimers. Do not believe any website saying otherwise.
2. There are many free tests, available online, produced by universities, nonprofits and reputable medical institutions. It is strongly recommended that one use the following links to find one of these tests. Do not pay for an Alzheimers test advertised online more than likely, these paid tests are not valid and can possibly be scams.
Memory Tests Used By Health Care Professionals
This first group of tests includes those used by clinicians to diagnose memory loss and other cognitive impairments.
But they are also available for you to do on your own for free.
Note:If you take any of these tests and your results are suspicious, we urge you to talk to your doctor. She may want to repeat the test in her office or see you for a cognitive check-up.
If you are a senior covered by Medicare, you can receive a routine cognitive impairment assessment as part of your annual check-up.
1. Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam
This test measures 11 cognitive categories including short-term memory, calculations, and recognition of geometric figures.
It takes about 7 minutes to complete.
You can learn more about this test on the Saint Louis University website.
You can download the mental status exam in PDF format directly from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
This memory test is available in a dozen or so languages besides English.
2. Mini Mental State Examination
The Mini Mental State Examination is the most commonly used test for complaints of memory loss or when a diagnosis of dementia is being considered.
The test is typically administered by a health care professional, but the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing provides the actual MMSE test as a PDF so you can take it at home.
3. Six-Item Cognitive Impairment Test
The Six-Item Cognitive Impairment Test is a dementia screening tool often used in Europe.
4. Test Your Memory Exam
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Afas New Online Memory Screen
The Alzheimers Foundation of America have added a new tool to their website in the form of an Online Screening Test that can help determine whether or not a visit to your doctor may be beneficial to you. This test only takes a few minutes to complete.
To begin the test, a prompt on the screen will provide you with instructions on how to correctly complete the test. The test itself is simple, presenting you with a series of images. When an exact repeat image appears on the screen, the spacebar is pressed on the keyboard. It is important to respond quickly because your reaction time is taken into account. When the test is completed you will be shown your results. These results tell you your percent correct, your mean reaction time, and a short test analysis. The test analysis section provides a range of how you performed on the test in terms of above average, average, or below average for your age group. If your score is interpreted as below average, it may suggest that you retake the test after reviewing the instructions. If your score does not improve the next time you take the test, a clinical evaluation may be a good idea.
How is this screening test helpful?
Executive dysfunction and impaired working memory are two early indicators of Alzheimers disease . Alzheimers disease can begin causing executive dysfunction before any signs of memory loss begin to emerge.
What is encoding?
Here is the link to access the online memory screen: AFA Online Memory Screen
Treating Tbi Related Memory Loss
Memory loss due to traumatic brain injury may only be temporary, and if thats the case, then simply rest and letting the brain heal should be enough.
However, in cases where the injury is more extensive or there is more significant damage to areas of the brain that handle learning and memory, then you will probably need to figure out a way to manage your memory problems, including:
- Removing distractions
- Practicing and repeating information you want to remember
- Using technology
- Use to do lists or other visual aids
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What Is Needed To Bring This Test Into Current Practice
Even a self-administered test that individuals can do at home will still require training for primary care providers, to understand how the test should be used and how to interpret the results. There is no question, however, that such training will be worthwhile. Once the training is complete, the knowledge gained should be able to save literally thousands of hours of clinician time, in addition to missed or improper diagnoses.
Another question is how individuals will react when they are told that they need to perform a 10-to-15-minute cognitive test at home and bring the results to their doctor. Will they do it? Or will the ones who need the test the most avoid doing it or cheat on it? My suspicion is that people who are concerned will do the test, as will people who generally follow their doctors instructions. Some individuals who would benefit from the information that the test provides may not do it, but many of those individuals wouldnt do the “regular” pencil-and-paper testing with the doctor or clinic staff either.
Learn More About The Sage Test On Ohio State Health & Discovery
Hear from Douglas Scharre, MD, who developed the test with his team at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center about the SAGE test.
In the decades since, the scope of this work at Ohio State has blossomed tremendously, facilitating a multitude of new treatment options for patients and their family members grappling with devastating memory loss issues.
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