MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT

Course overview

MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI) DENOTES MEMORY CHANGES THAT EXCEED THE CRITERIA FOR NORMAL AGING BUT DO NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR DEMENTIA. IT IS IMPORTANT TO DISTINGUISH MCI FROM BOTH NORMAL AGING AND DEMENTIA, THOUGH IT IS CATEGORIZED AS A NEUROCOGNITIVE DISORDER (NCD). IT CAN REPRESENT AN EARLY STAGE OF DEMENTIA; HOWEVER, OTHER DISEASES CAN ALSO CAUSE MCI. SOME CAUSES OF MCI CAN BE EASILY TREATED IF DIAGNOSED EARLY. EARLY DETECTION OF MCI CAN HELP MAINTAIN FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE AND PROMPT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT FUTURE PLANNING. THE COGNITIVE CHANGES IN MCI ARE SUBTLE AND COMPLEX TO DISTINGUISH FROM THE NORMAL AGING PROCESS. PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH MCI REQUIRE REGULAR MONITORING TO ASSESS FOR CHANGES IN CLINICAL STATUS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF MCI AND REVIEWS THE ROLE OF THE HEALTHCARE TEAM IN MANAGING PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.