ABSTRACT
Mr Jones was referred by his General Practitioner for assessment in the context of concerns regarding his memory function, specifically memory issues. A family history of Alzheimer's disease was noted. Taking the history with behavioural examples is important, and can be aided by including the specific phrases that clients use to describe concerns. Compared to his expected performance based on his current intellect, the Visual Working Memory Index was significantly below the level expected (base rate of 4") meaning that he demonstrated clinically significant difficulties with attention and concentration. The assessment suggests that Mr Jones is generally functioning in the average range, compared to his age peers. This case demonstrated that the client's perception of his problem as "memory" impairment may differ from the attribution that follows from a formal cognitive assessment. Diagnostic cognitive re-evaluation has also been proposed, and if it is considered necessary and done carefully it could aid in the differential diagnosis of dementia types.
