Validation Of The Flemish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) For Persons With Hearing Impairment

Validation Of The Flemish Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) For Persons With Hearing Impairment

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is a screening test for detecting cognitive impairment that assesses several cognitive domains (attention and concentration, arithmetic and orientation, memory, etc.). The instructions as well as some test items of the MoCA are presented auditory (spoken). Consequently, performance on the MoCA may be co-dependent on hearing. Therefore, to rule out the possible negative influence of hearing loss on performance on the MoCA, a MoCA for individuals with hearing loss was recently developed. More specifically, the original MoCA was modified by providing the instructions audiovisually (spoken with visual support) as well as by replacing hearing-dependent items. Since replacing items may affect sensitivity and specificity, the MoCA for persons with hearing loss should be revalidated.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Individuals aged 60 years or older
• Individuals with normal vision (with lenses or glasses if needed)
• Individuals with age-related hearing loss
• Dutch-speaking individuals
• Individuals capable of giving consent to participate in the study themselves
• Individuals still residing in their own homes
• Individuals with an official diagnosis of dementia (Alzheimer's, vascular, or mixed) or mild cognitive impairment. This inclusion criterion applies only to the group with cognitive impairment.

Exclusion Criteria:

For individuals without cognitive impairment, the following exclusion criteria apply:

• (History of) neurological problems (brain tumor, epilepsy, history of stroke, etc.)
• Use of influencing medication (e.g., Ritalin and antidepressants)