Wellness Corner

Doctors who work with older patients are recommended to make regular use of neurological exams in their check-ups of these patients. That is because it is believed that standard neurological exams can successfully predict the future health of the brain and may give some clue as to the quality of life that the patient can expect in older years.

"Until now we haven't had proof of value of the standard neurological exam. We now know that the test is a good value for older adults and could even be used as a "cheap biomarker" of future cognitive decline because it appears to have predictive value similar to biomarkers," said Dr. Boustani.

Working with patients on these issues while they are still fully cognizant of what's going on with their health could lead to better treatment of patients with Alzheimer's and dementia because the patient would be able to make more decisions about his or her health care before the onset of these aging problems.

Question of the Day: Should doctors working with aging patients use standard neurological exams to predict future quality of life?

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