Cognitive functioning from normal aging to mild cognitive impairment: combining rapid cognitive testing and informant reports to improve screening in clinical and research contexts ; Funcionamento cognitivo do envelhecimento normal ao declínio cognitivo ligeiro: combinação de instrumentos cognitivos rápidos e relatos de informantes para uma otimização do rastreio em contextos clínicos e de investigação

The increase in average life expectancy is a worldwide phenomenon responsible for a raise in the older/elderly population, including in Portugal. Of significance, aging is accompanied by a decline in cognitive ability, which has been associated with a decrease in the quality of life. To provide feasible and rapid assessment tools that assist not only in cognitive diagnosis in research and clinical practice, but also to establish thresholds for cognitive impairment, adapted to the Portuguese context, the applicability of rapid cognitive screening and informant instruments (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status – Modified [TICSM-PT] and Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly [IQCODE] respectively) was explored in this thesis. Results indicate that the TICSM-PT presents associations not only with global cognitive measures, but also with a number of cognitive and psychological instruments performed inperson. Moreover, it demonstrated to be a practical tool for rapid cognitive assessment, and a valid method of screening cognition by telephone, among older adults with low educational background. Using a different technological approach, but the same instrument, it was further demonstrated that is possible to carry out accurate and reliable cognitive assessments through videoconference. Findings indicate that the videoconference administration method yields comparable results to the traditional face-to-face administration and supports the hypothesis of good acceptability among the older participants. Results also indicate that the IQCODE, when applied in community-dwelling older individuals, may not be an informative tool due to the lack of variability in the informants’ responses. Although family members or close companions remain important sentinels in helping in the detection of cognitive impairment, herein the results raise important concerns, regarding their strengths and weaknesses, which prompt for further discussions regarding the weight that health professionals should place on ...