Mild cognitive impairment test - YouTube

These memory problems you’ve been noticing recently.

Are they normal for your age?

Or are they an early sign of cognitive impairment?

Well, you can wonder and worry.

Or find out by taking a simple, free pen-and-paper memory test in the comfort of your own home.

Hi, I’m Tony Dearing, of GoCogno.com, the website for people with mild cognitive impairment.

If you’re watching this video, you probably don’t know whether you've got mild cognitive

impairment.

That’s what you’re trying to figure out.

And you’re looking for a test that can help you determine that.

What I’m going to show you today is how to choose the right test, how to take it,

and what to do with the results.

And if you’re ready, let’s get started.

Step 1 – Choosing the right test

I’m going to make this really simple for you.

If you Google “free memory test” you’re going to get thousands of results.

Most of these tests are worthless and some are outright scams.

Don’t fall for that.

What I'm going to recommend is the Self-Administered Gerocognitive Exam, or the SAGE test for short.

It’s free, and easy to download.

You can do it at home in a matter of minutes.

It’s been taken more than 1.7 million times, and it’s amazingly accurate.

Now there are some other good choices, and I’ll mention them at the end of this video.

But SAGE is hands-down the best choice and you just can’t go wrong using it.

Step 2 – Getting the test

SAGE was developed at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University.

You can download it at this website.

And I should mention, that you can take notes or screen grabs of this video if you want,

but I’ve taken the information I’m sharing with you here, and I've put it in a cheat

sheet.

And I’ll tell you how to get the cheat sheet at the end of the video.

So you go to the website, and download the test.

Where it says “I agree and download the test” you click there.

You pick the language you want it in, and you'll see there’s four different tests.

They’re different, but they all measure the same things with the same accuracy.

It doesn’t matter which one you choose.

Just pick one.

I’m going to pick Test 3.

There you go.

You’ve got it, and now you know what it looks like.

Step 3 – Preparing for the test

When I say preparing, I don’t mean studying.

You really can’t study for a test like this, and it wouldn’t help you if you did.

I just mean pick the right time and the right place, somewhere quiet, without distractions,

no TV blaring, and your phone turned off.

Find a comfortable setting, and do it when you have enough time.

Now this is not a timed test.

Most people who take it will generally finish it in 10 or 15 minutes, but you can take as

much time as you want.

Step 4 – Play by the rules

There are just a few simple rules for taking the test.

Use a pen, not a pencil, to fill it out.

Don’t look at clock or a calendar or your computer while you’re taking it.

And don’t let anyone help you.

And keep in mind, the test is not designed to be completely easy.

So don’t get frustrated.

Just answer as best you can, and don't worry about it.

Step 5 – Getting the results

Once you’re done, it’s time to score the test.

That’s something a doctor should do.

So you take it to your doctor, and your doctor scores it.

Now that sometimes surprises people.

They kind of expect this to be like a home pregnancy test — you just take it, and you

find out the answer right there.

Well, pregnancy is pretty straight-forward.

You’re either pregnant or you’re not.

Cognitive impairment is much more nuanced.

There's a gray area between what's cognitively normal for your age and mild cognitive impairment,

and there's a gray area between mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

And where you are on that spectrum isn't just a number.

That being said, you can score it if you want to.

The website has information on it that tells doctors how to score it, and anybody can look

at that information and score the test if they want to.

But that’s a bad idea.

First of all, if you’re having cognitive issues, you may score it incorrectly, and

what good does that do you?

Also, your score needs to be looked at in the context of your educational background,

your long-term and recent medical history and a lot of other factors.

And a doctor can interpret that in a way that you can’t.

The maximum score that you can get on the SAGE test is 22 points.

Generally speaking, a score of 17 to 22 is a pretty good indication that your memory

is normal for your age.

Someone who scores a 15 or a 16 may have some mild cognitive impairment, and a score of

14 or less suggests a more serious problem.

But those are just ranges.

A doctor who knows your personal and medical history can put your score in the right context

for you, and that’s what you really need.

Step 6 – What happens next

Most people who take a memory screen test normal.

And if that’s the case for you, congratulations.

You’re OK, and now you can use that as motivation to stay OK, by adopting healthy habits that

protect brain health, like exercise, proper nutrition, brain training, and being socially

engaged.

You also now have a baseline score for yourself.

So if you continue to take this test every year, that gives you the best opportunity

to identify any problem, should it come up later, at the earliest possible moment.

If your score is below 17, please don’t panic.

That doesn’t mean that you have dementia.

It indicates there may be a problem, and your doctor should refer you for further evaluation,

to see what’s going on and how it can be addressed.

Many causes of memory loss are treatable.

So I hope you found this helpful, and now you’re ready to go take a memory test.

The SAGE is a great choice, but as I mentioned, there are other good ones and I'm sharing

some information here.

These are recommended by my colleagues at the website BeBrainFit.

They include: MindCrowd, Cogniciti and MemTrax.

All the information here is included in the cheat sheet I’ve created for this lesson.

It’s available for free when you sign up for my weekly brain health email, which also

is free.

You can get the cheat sheet by going to my website at gocogno.com/mci-test, and there’s

a link to that below.

Thanks for joining me today.

I do these videos every week, and I invite you to check them out.

I hope to see you again soon.

Until then, be kind to your mind.