Consistent with the demographic trend of aging, dementia is expected to become more of a public health problem. As such, health professionals usually discuss dementia in “dementia stages”. Moreover, these stages refer to how far a person's dementia or Alzheimer's has progressed.
Clinical Dementia Rating, also known as the CDR™,is a unique 5-point scale used to characterize six domains of cognitive and functional performance. Likewise, performances are applicable to Alzheimer disease and related dementias. These areas are Memory, Orientation, Judgment & Problem Solving, Community Affairs, Home & Hobbies, and Personal Care.
Prospective users of the CDR™ should be trained to administer the semi-structured interview. Most importantly, users should use the Scoring Table in a valid, reliable manner. Such ratings are clinically relevant, but this online tool should not be in any way used to conclude about dementia. For more information about the CDR™ tool and its proper use, click here. Conversely, you may visit our blog post to check out other dementia tests available.