Severe cognitive impairment
Severe cognitive impairment is a form of cognitive impairment that can be distinguished from the "mild" and "moderate" types of impairment. In the United States, the existence of severe cognitive impairment is a condition that triggers benefit payments under most long-term care insurance policies.[1]
Definition
[edit]Under the United States' Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program, a severe cognitive impairment is defined as "a deterioration or loss in intellectual capacity that
(a) places a person in jeopardy of harming him or herself or others and, therefore, the person requires substantial supervision by another person; and
(b) is measured by clinical evidence and standardized tests which reliably measure impairment in:
(1) short or long term memory;
(2) orientation to people, places or time; and
(3) deductive or abstract reasoning."[2]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer the general explanation that a cognitive impairment exists when a person "has trouble remembering, learning new things, concentrating, or making decisions that affect their everyday life". It goes on the say that the impairment is severe when the person "[loses] the ability to understand the meaning or importance of something and the ability to talk or write". According to their explanation, people with severe cognitive impairment are unable to live independently.[3]
Prevalence
[edit]A 2013–2014 study conducted at nursing homes in Sweden found that approximately one in seven residents had that condition.[4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ In the United States, a long-term care policy that does not include it as a triggering condition will fail to be qualified for special tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code. See section 7702B(c)(2)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code.
- ^ "FLTCIP Glossary of Terms". ltcfeds.com. Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ "Cognitive Impairment: A Call for Action, Now!" (PDF). cdc.gov. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). February 2011. p. 1. Retrieved September 20, 2017. The quotes are taken from the sidebox "What Is Cognitive Impairment?"
- ^ Sabine, Björk; Juthberg, Christina; Lindkvist, Marie; Wimo, Anders; Sandman, Per-Olof; Winblad, Bengt; Edvardsson, David (August 22, 2016). "Exploring the Prevalence and Variance of Cognitive Impairment, Pain, Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and ADL Dependency among Persons Living in Nursing Homes: A cross-sectional study". BMC Geriatrics. 16 (154): 154. doi:10.1186/s12877-016-0328-9. PMC 4994232. PMID 27549203. The notes to Table 1 indicate that 66.6% of residents had some level of cognitive impairment and that the impairment was severe for 23.6% of them. 23.6% of 66.6% is 15.7%, approximately one in seven.