Cognitive profile of the elderly in Arequipa

Abstract

The notorious aging population and longer life expectancy often lead to various physical and neurodegenerative diseases such as cognitive impairment and dementia.This research seeks to understand the cognitive profile of the elderly in Arequipa using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). 656 adults of both sexes between 55 and 96 years old, Spanish-speaking, without serious sensory impairments were evaluated. 21% with cognitive impairment indicators, which decreases if we consider the level of independence in activities of daily living (13%) was found. We also note that those with more education, mentally active and autonomous, perform better on the test.