Cognitive function screening of community-dwelling elderly by telephone interview of cognitive status in Japanese (TICS-J)

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status in Japanese (TICS-J) is accepted among community-dwelling elderly, to examine the correlations among gender, age or the duration of education and the TICS-J, as well as to grasp the subjects with probable cognitive impairment. Methods: A total of 12,059 community-dwelling elderly were invited to join the cognitive screening by the TICS-J, among which 3,482 responded, of these we were actually able to measure 2.620 and found out the educational back ground of the 2,431. They counted 1,186 men (age 72.3 ± 5.7 (mean ± SD) years old. duration of education 11.4 ± 2.9 years) and 1,245 women (72.4 ± 5.8, 10.3 ± 2.2). The TICS-J was administered according to the TICS manual. The TICS-J consisted of orientation concerning name, time and place, counting backward from 20 to 1, remembering a word list, 7 serial subtractions, naming of verbal descriptions, repetition, recent memory, praxis and opposites. The subjects were divided into two groups by the duration of education (less than 11 years, or 11 years or more), or four groups by age (65-69, 70-74, 75-79 and 80 years old or more). Results: There were no significant differences of total TICS-J scores between men and women, 34.3 ± 3.5 and 34.4 ± 3.6. respectively. The mean total score of the high education group (35.3 ± 3.0) was significantly higher than that of the low education group (33.3 ± 3.8). Moreover, the averages of the total scores decreased according to age increase. The number of the subjects who showed the total TICS-J scores below the cut-off point of 33 was 564 (23.2%). Conclusions: There was no difference between men and women with the average total score of the TICS-J, however, there were correlations between ages and extent of education and their average total scores. The TICS-J is useful to assess the cognitive function of the community-dwelling elderly.