Telehealth-based assessment of cognition, social cognition, mood, and functional independence in older adults

Background Mild cognitive impairment affects over 15% of adults aged 50+ years and is a primary risk indicator for dementia. Although access to assessment is crucial, many older adults face barriers to in-person evaluation. Methods This study used a randomised cross-over design to assess the practicality, acceptability, and adaptation of a telehealth-based screening battery tailored for older adults. Forty-three volunteers aged 50+ years (m =70.3, s.d.=10.8) completed in-person or videoconference assessments, including the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-III (ACE-III), Brief Assessment of Social Skills (BASS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS), Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Assessment of Living Skills And Resources-2 (ALSAR-R2). The alternate format was administered after 3weeks. Practicality was assessed with reference to task modifications, completion, and administration time. Acceptability was evaluated via questionnaire. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Results Minimal modifications were needed for the videoconference format, and it was highly acceptable to respondents. Reliability across formats was excellent for BASS Empathy, HADS Depression, MBI and ALSAR-R2 (ICC=1.00-0.92) and good for ACE-III, HADS Anxiety, and BASS Face Emotion Perception, Face Identification, and Social Disinhibition scales (ICC=0.77-0.89). Conclusions Findings support the feasibility of telehealth-based administration of the screening battery; however, biases in emotion perception performance between modalities require further research.