Should I or not?

Whyzit

DH has an appointment with his Geri-psych on Wed. I have asked that he be given the MMSE test as his memory has declined substantially since he took it a year ago. They are going to do it.

My concern is that DH refers to his wristwatch to answer questions regarding time, day and date which are asked on the test. In order to get accurate test results should I make his watch disappear the day of the test OR change the settings on the watch?  If I hide the watch he will be upset which isn’t good for testing. If I change the settings he obviously will give incorrect answers. Then there is the issue of drawing the clock. I don’t believe this test is designed to measure how adaptable a person is.

I just want true results and don’t really want to mess with the outcome. I would really appreciate advice on how others have handled this. Thanks 

MaryG123

Well, I refer to mine too, and don’t really think of it as a crutch.  Interesting question.

Faith,Hope,Love

Could you contact the Geri-Psych ahead of time and mention your concerns?  That way they would know how to handle your husband.  Just a thought.

Rick4407

Hello Whyzit,  In my opinion I would do nothing unusual.  The fact that he looks at his watch for the answer is perhaps the goal of the question.  He knows where to get the requested information, getting it right or wrong is of less consequence.  

In my six years on the road I have found that the MMSE is a very normal quick test, but it is really not particularly important in the overall diagnosis.  I provide her Dr a paragraph or two ahead of time outlining her capabilities and limitations and feel that is more relevant to any diagnosis.  Even that is of somewhat limited value since the disease and it's consequences seem to vary from one individual to the next .   My experience has been that the medical community almost universally describes only 3 levels of general impairment.    Sorry, Rick

Quilting brings calm

The day and date questions are really minimal and count for maybe a point.  They are there just to determine quickly if he lives in our reality and is ‘oriented as to time and place’.   If he gets even close, they would give him the point. I would just say ‘no peeking at your watch ‘ when the test starts so as to remind the test giver that he has a watch.    The doctor is actually going to be much more concerned about the rest of the questions.   

Joydean

Whyzit you know you can download that test, print it off and give it to your dh anytime. I’ve copied it and given it to dh a few times just for my own records. Just an idea.