Elderly Care: Mini Mental Status Exam

 

Today’s post is part of our ongoing series, The Encompass Way. Here, we’ll go over many of the steps involved in setting up a comprehensive care plan, which helps us to provide seniors and their families a complete understanding of the available care options and helps families maneuver through the challenges of the system.

mmse omaha

The Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) is a quick and easy way for professional caregivers to determine the status of a patient’s cognitive abilities. It’s especially useful way to measure whether or not a person is suffering from cognitive decline brought on by an illness, as such a matter requires prompt and aggressive action. WithMMSE, a patient’s mental state is tested in the following areas: orientation, registration, recall, language and attention and calculation.

Below is the version of the MMSE that Physicians Choice Private Duty uses.

Mini Mental Status Exam

Name: ______________________  DOB: ______________________

Years of School: _______________ Date of Exam: ______________________

SCORING

Maximum score 30 — below 20 usually indicates cognitive impairment. Each correct answer is worth one point or as noted otherwise.

Orientation to time

Today’s date

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Month

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Year

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Day of the week

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Season

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Orientation to Place

Where are we?

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

What room is this?

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

What city?

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Country?

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

State?

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Immediate Recall

Ask if you may test his/her memory. Then say “ball,” “flag,” “tree” clearly and slowly. After you said all three words, ask him/her to repeat them. The first repetition determines the score (0-3).

Ball

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Flag

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Tree

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

 Attention

Ask the individual to begin with 100 and count backwards by sevens. Stop after five subtractions. Score the subtractions.

93

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

86

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

79

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

72

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

65

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Ask the individual to spell the word “WORLD” backwards. The score is the number of letters in correct order.

D

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

L

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

R

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

O

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

W

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Delayed Verball Recall

Ask the individual to recall the three words you previously asked him/her to remember.

Ball

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Flag

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Tree

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Naming

Show the individual a wristwatch and ask him/her what it is. Repeat the process, substituting a pencil.

Watch

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Pencil

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Repetition

Ask the individual to repeat the following:

“No if, ands or buts”

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Three-Stage Command

Give the individual a plain piece of paper and say, “Take the paper in your hand, fold it in half and put it on the floor.”

Takes

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Folds

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

Puts

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Reading

Hold up the card that reads “Close your eyes” so the individual can see it clearly. Ask him/her to read it and do what it says. Score correctly only if the individual closes his/her eyes.

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Writing

Give the individual a piece of paper and ask him/her to write a sentence. It is to be written spontaneously. It must contain a subject and a verb and be sensible.

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

Copying

Give the individual a piece of paper and ask him/her to copy a design of the two intersecting shapes. One point is awarded for correctly copying the shapes. All angles on both figures must be present and the figures must have one overlapping angle.

    • Correct

 

    • Incorrect

 

TOTAL: _____________

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TOTAL SCORE: _____________

You can download/print a copy of the MMSE here.

Currently serving Omaha and surrounding areas, all Encompass services are directed by registered nurses or social workers with no long-term contracts. Contact us today for help with your senior care needs.

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