Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia

by Lisa D. Ravdin, Heather L. Katzen

Overview

With the aging of the baby boomers and medical advances that promote longevity, older adults are rapidly becoming the fastest growing segment of the population. As the population ages, so does the incidence of age related disorders. Many predict that 15% - 20% of the baby-boomer generation will develop some form of cognitive decline over the course of their lifetime, with estimates escalating to up to 50% in those achieving advanced age. Although much attention has been directed at Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, it is estimated that nearly one third of those cases of cognitive decline result from other neuropathological mechanisms. In fact, many patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease likely have co-morbid disorders that can also influence cognition (i.e., vascular cognitive impairment), suggesting mixed dementias are grossly under diagnosed. The Clinical Handbook on the Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia is a unique work that provides clinicians with expert guidance and a hands-on approach to neuropsychological practice with older adults. The book will be divided into two sections, the first addressing special considerations for the evaluation of older adults, and the second half focusing on common referral questions likely to be encountered when working with this age group. The authors of the chapters are experts and are recognized by their peers as opinion leaders in their chosen chapter topics. The field of neuropsychology has played a critical role in developing methods for early identification of late life cognitive disorders as well as the differential diagnosis of dementia. Neuropsychological assessment provides valuable clinical information regarding the nature and severity of cognitive symptoms associated with dementia. Each chapter will reinforce the notion that neuropsychological measures provide the clinician with sensitive tools to differentiate normal age-related cognitive decline from disease-associatedimpairment, aid in differential diagnosis of cognitive dysfunction in older adults, as well as identify cognitive deficits most likely to translate into functional impairments in everyday life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781461491408
Publisher:	Springer New York
Publication date:	01/17/2014
Series:	Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology
Edition description:	2013
Pages:	527
Product dimensions:	7.01(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.04(d)

About the Author

Lisa Ravdin, Ph.D., ABPP-CN is a board-certified neuropsychologist and director of the Weill Cornell Neuropsychology Service in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at new York Hospital Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center. After graduating from the Chicago Medical School doctoral program, she completed an internship at the West Haven VA medical Center and Yale Epilepsy Program where she received the Jacob Levin Intern Award for Outstanding Clinical Scholarship. Subsequently, she underwent advanced training in a neuropsychology post doctoral fellowship at New York University School of Medicine-Hospital for Joint Diseases, as well as a neuropsychology fellowship at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Presently, her primary clinical and research activities focus on cognitive changes associated with neurologic disorders and, in particular, age-related diseases. In addition, she is a co-investigator on a number of research initiatives relating to cognitive decline associated with neurologic disease (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus) and depression. Heather Katzen, Ph.D. is assistant research professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and adjunct research assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology/neuropsychology from the University of Miami and completed a post doctoral fellowship at New York Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. She is a member of the International Neuropsychological Society, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, and American Psychological Association, Division 40, Neuropsychology.

Table of Contents

1. Special Considerations for the Neuropsychological Interview of Older Adults.- 2. Consideration of Cognitive Reserve.- 3. Considerations for the Neuropsychological Evaluation of Older Ethnic Minority Populations.- 4. The Assessment of Change: Serial Assessments in Dementia Evaluations.- 5. After the Diagnosis of Dementia: Considerations in Disease Management.- 6. Sleep and Aging.- 7. Medications and Cognition in Older Adults.- 8. Assessment of Depression and Anxiety in Older Adults.- 9. Neuropsychological Assessment and Management of Older Adults with Multiple Somatic Symptoms.- 10. Driving Evaluation in Older Adults.- 11. Environmental Design for Cognitive Decline.- 12. Prevention of Cognitive Decline.- 13. Clinical Neuropsychology Practice and the Medicare Patient.- 14. Professional Competence as the Foundation for Ethical Neuropsychological Practice with Older Adults.- 15. Ethical Considerations in the Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults.- Part II:  Late Life Cognitive Disorders.- 16. Mild Cognitive Impairment and Normal Aging.- 17. Differential Diagnosis of Depression and Dementia.- 18. Assessment of Alzheimer’s disease.- 19. Vascular Cognitive Impairment.- 20. Assessment in Acute Stroke Rehabilitation.- 21. Accurate Assessment of Behavioral Variant Frontotemporal Dementia.- 22. Movement Disorders with Dementia in Older Adults.- 23. Neuropsychological Considerations for Parkinson's Disease Patients Being Considered for Surgical Intervention with Deep Brain Stimulation.- 24. Idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus.- 25. Episodic and Semantic Memory Disorders.- 26. Epilepsy and Aging.- 27. Neuropsychological Assessment of Older Adults with a History of Cancer.- 28. Evaluating Cognition in Patients with COPD/emphysema.- 29. Hepatic Encephalopathy.- 30. Late-Onset Schizophrenia.- 31. Capacity Evaluations in Older Adults: Neuropsychological Perspectives.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: Part of the Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology series, this is a practical guide to assessment, recommendations, and prevention of cognitive decline and dementia.
Purpose: The series is designed to be a departure from typical books by focusing on concrete clinical descriptions and detailed instructions on how neuropsychologists evaluate various patient conditions. This book was written "with the knowledge that older adults are the fastest growing segment of the population, and neuropsychologists are increasingly being called upon to evaluate seniors in a variety of contexts."
Audience: The intended audience includes neuropsychologists, neurologists, primary care physicians (geriatricians, internists, family doctors), health psychologists, clinical psychologists, and clinical social workers.
Features: The book begins with how neuropsychological assessment should proceed with an elderly client. The authors note that the neuropsychological interview must be comprehensive, able to estimate the cognitive reserve, which is how the brain adapts to damage. There is also a need for serial assessments in order to see how conditions such as dementia proceed over time. This book also explores how neuropsychological evaluations would account for cultural differences in terms of normative samples on psychological tests and acculturation. The authors address issues such as medication and its effect on cognition. They even suggest safer drug alternatives and nonpharmacological alternatives. The first part ends with a discussion of how neuropsychologists who have worked with younger adult clients can transition to the geriatric population, and with a consideration of ethical issues. The second part describes specific disorders which affect the elderly and discuses the differences between normal aging and mild cognitive impairment. It is also important to distinguish between dementia and depression, though depressive symptoms can be part of dementia. The authors examine how to conduct the examination when seizure disorders and/or strokes are part of the patient's history. Finally, there is an interesting discussion on how to identify the etiology of psychotic symptoms. The chapters are organized fairly uniformly: abstract, keywords, text, summary and future directions, clinical pearls, and references. The book includes helpful tables and figures as well as some clinical case examples.
Assessment: With the aging of the baby boomers, this will be an invaluable resource, both for seasoned veterans and novice clinicians. It also will be of great assistance to neuropsychologists who are considering changing their focus to older adults.

Doody's Review Service

From the reviews:

“This is a practical guide to assessment, recommendations, and prevention of cognitive decline and dementia. … The chapters are organized fairly uniformly … . The book includes helpful tables and figures as well as some clinical case examples. … this will be an invaluable resource, both for seasoned veterans and novice clinicians. It also will be of great assistance to neuropsychologists who are considering changing their focus to older adults.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody's Book Reviews, January, 2013)

“A ‘must have’ for the bookshelves of any neuropsychologist who sees or wants to see older adults. … Hats off to Drs Lisa Ravdin and Heather Katzen for putting together such a useful, well written addition to the Clinical Handbook series … . I recommend this book to anyone who is involved in or considering providing assessment to older adults. I guarantee it will provide you with new perspectives and/or issues to consider as you move forward in your clinical practice.” (Laura A. Flashman, Clinical Handbooks in Neuropsychology, 2013)

From the Publisher