MMSE interpretations

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Songbird - 20 Jul 2005 20:39 GMT

Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores? Mom
had hers repeated yesterday, and although it is still relatively high, it
shows a 10 percent decrease in a year. I'm just looking for some guidance to
discuss it intelligently with her doctor.

(Oh and update to those who followed my travails with my Dad and his recent
pacemaker implant -- now the site is infected and the doc is talking about
having to replace the whole unit. Oh joy.)

Songbird

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Gwen Love - 20 Jul 2005 21:20 GMT

Songbird, can't help on the MMSE explanation, sorry. Also very sorry about
your dad's problem with the pacemaker. Surely hope it clears up quickly and
doesn't require another installation.
Gwen

> Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores? Mom
> had hers repeated yesterday, and although it is still relatively high, it
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Songbird

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Tumbleweed - 20 Jul 2005 22:25 GMT

>> Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores? Mom
>> had hers repeated yesterday, and although it is still relatively high, it
>> shows a 10 percent decrease in a year. I'm just looking for some guidance
>> to discuss it intelligently with her doctor.

there is nothing hard and fast, dont forget that the first M in MMSE stands
for 'mini'.
Looking at change over time is more important, and even then its just an
indicator, people could be fine in some categories, bad in oyjhers, or
display other behavious that are hard to cope with and not at all
investigated by the MMSE.

There is somewhere on the net, though I cant find it, that says something
like 29+ normal, 25-29 minor impairment, and so on, but again its just a
guide, there are so many other issues to take account of.
FWIW what is your mum scoring? My dad was in a fairly bad way when he was in
the low 20's, dont know what he would score now but it would be a lot lower,
but he is happier and easier to get on with now than he was 2 years ago. .

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Tumbleweed

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tumbleweednews at hotmail dot com

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Songbird - 20 Jul 2005 22:45 GMT

Last year she scored a 29, but the doctor said one question she thought was
unfair, since Mom had recently moved and would not know the answer to it, so
she gave her a perfect 30. Her other behaviors indicated there was a problem
and the PET gave a definite VaD (vascular dementia) diagnosis. (She is now
on Aricept 10 mg.)

Yesterday she had a 27, still good, but wondering how quickly such scores
generally decline in early stages. And other things still show a truer
picture. She came out of the back of the doc's office after taking the MMSE,
and I asked her if they had also done her bloodwork. (She was due for a
thyroid panel.) "Oh yes," she said. Not seeing a needlemark on her arms, I
said, "So they drew your blood?" "Oh, no, they didn't take any blood."

I had to explain to her today how things get infected. (She couldn't figure
out how Dad's pacemaker could be surrounded by infection since it was inside
his body, not on the surface.) She acted as if she had never heard of
bacteria or white blood cells before. It's just frustrating to anticipate
where the gaps are at this stage.

Songbird

>>> Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores?
>>> Mom
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> lower, but he is happier and easier to get on with now than he was 2 years
> ago. .

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Songbird - 20 Jul 2005 23:09 GMT

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Lee - 20 Jul 2005 22:32 GMT

http://alzheimers.about.com/od/diagnosisissues/a/MMSE.htm was the best of
what I found

> Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores? Mom
> had hers repeated yesterday, and although it is still relatively high, it
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Songbird

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Evelyn Ruut - 21 Jul 2005 00:14 GMT

> Can anyone tell me where to find a simple explanation of MMSE scores? Mom
> had hers repeated yesterday, and although it is still relatively high, it
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Songbird

Songbird, that is such a shame. I hope they get it all sorted out soon and
that your Dad regains his health. About the test score....wouldn't a
psychiatrist or a neurologist be the one to analyze the test scores? Not
really sure, but that would seem to be in their area.

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Best Regards,
Evelyn

(to reply to me personally, remove 'sox')

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Anthony Shipley - 21 Jul 2005 01:03 GMT

>Songbird, that is such a shame. I hope they get it all sorted out soon and
>that your Dad regains his health. About the test score....wouldn't a
>psychiatrist or a neurologist be the one to analyze the test scores? Not
>really sure, but that would seem to be in their area.

While my neurologist does the test the scores are pretty easily to analyse. In
effect, if they go down, I'm likely to lose my government funding for the
expensive drugs -- reminyl, in my case.

That is, if they don't make a difference, the govt won't waste the taxpayers
money. Fair enough!

-
Mind control is being able to make all the voices in your head take turns.

Mod as a hooter!

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Neil Baxter - 25 Jul 2005 14:05 GMT

Hi to you Songbird.

My name's Neil - Student Nurse from the U.K.

I have been using the MMSE in practice, and wrote the following:
http://com5.runboard.com/balzheimers.finformation.t5

This is a really good link too - a fact sheet produced by the Alzheimer's
Society.
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/How_is_dementia_diagnosed/Diagnosis_process/inf
o_mmse.htm

There's also a printer-friendly version available too.

Hope this information is useful.

All the best.

Neil.

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