On reaching the age of 55, we still have a third of our life ahead of us. This is a remarkable social achievement. Ideally, these extra years should be an enjoyable time of life. But for this to be the case, we need good health and, in particular, we need to remain mentally healthy. The ageing process, per se, both because of illness and because of lack of stimulation and a tendency to social withdrawal, can lead to declining cognitive performance. But this is not inevitable: through the identification of risk situations and the implementation of healthy behaviours, the quality of the ageing process can be improved substantially.
This is why we created our …
Cognitive Assessment Centre (CeVaC – Centro di valutazione delle Funzioni Cognitive)
This is a free facility serving the local community.
The role of this service is not to offer diagnosis and treatment, but simply to provide an assessment of cognitive functions. On the basis of this assessment, the GP of the individual in question may directly prescribe a treatment or decide to refer the individual to specialist services.
The aims of the service
To provide screening and assessment of the cognitive health status of adults and elderly people living in the local area.
To build a database from our observation of individuals seen at the centre, to serve as a starting point for possible research.
To test medical, psychological and social tools designed to assess brain ageing and screen for cognitive decline.
The assessment
The assessment comprises three phases:
- the individual is welcomed, completes a questionnaire gathering personal and biographical data, and is then interviewed by a doctor who collects, briefly, his/her clinical history;
- the person is interviewed by a psychologist and administered the assessment tests;
- the doctor and psychologist report back with the results of the assessment.
How to access the service
It is necessary to make an appointment. There is no need for a GP’s letter or official request, although the individual’s GP should be informed.
The person concerned should telephone the centre for an appointment on: 02.94852265. Calls are taken on weekdays between 10 a.m. and noon and between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
CEVAC service is provisionally suspended until the end of 2014.