The presentation of physical disease may be altered or obscured. People with dementia have reduced survival. Maneuver Dementia is readily recognizable in its advanced stages. In the early stages it often goes undetected. Conventional medical histories and examinations frequently fail to identify cognitive impairment or to distinguish it from hearing impairment, depression, aphasia, bradykinesia, etc.
Little training is required, and a standardized version has been developed.
The test is valid and reproducible, particularly in its standardized form. It is a less comprehensive instrument than the MMS, as it examines principally orientation and memory, and does not cover areas of language or motor tasks. The clock drawing test, originally developed for examination of parietal lobe function, is an extremely quick test. 65 years and over were subjected to a two-phase screening procedure. The MMS score is correlated with the ability to perform daily activities in cognitively impaired individuals.