A comparison of the MMSE and the TICS-m in hearing-impaired older adults

• Published in: Australasian journal on ageing 2006-06, Vol.25 (2), p.89-93
• Main Authors: Pachana, Nancy A, Alpass, Fiona M, Blakey, Judy A, Long, Nigel R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; ageing; Geriatric assessment; hearing impairment; Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); Neuropsychological tests; New Zealand; People with aural disabilities; Psychological tests; Statistics; Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status - modified (TICS-m); telephone interviews; Veterans
• ISSN: 1440-6381; 1741-6612
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-6612.2006.00156.x

Objective:  The efficacy of telephone‐administered cognitive screening instruments used with hearing‐impaired populations is as yet unknown. Method:  In a pilot study, performance of hearing‐impaired veterans (N = 46) was compared on telephone‐administered (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status – modified; TICS‐m) and face‐to‐face administered (Mini‐Mental State Examination; MMSE) instruments. Results:  Correlations between the MMSE and the TICS‐m (r = 0.39) are lower than previously reported in the literature. Participants had difficulty perceiving words from the TICS‐m on registration and thus also on later recall, regardless of whether hearing aids were worn. Further analyses revealed that when these items were removed from the TICS‐m scores, correlations with the MMSE improved significantly. Conclusions:  Hearing‐impaired participants may have difficulties with telephone‐administered instruments requiring accurate hearing of words in the absence of any context. Participants’ hearing should be taken into account when administering and interpreting cognitive screens over the telephone.