Cognitive Concerns Clinic
Mission Statement: The Cognitive Concerns Clinic’s (CCC) mission is to provide low-cost evaluations to Utah seniors concerned about changes in their memory or other thinking abilities, while providing a dynamic training experience for neuropsychology doctoral students at the University of Utah. All evaluations are conducted remotely via the ZOOM platform.
WHO can benefit: Individuals who are generally 50 years of age and older who experience concerns or questions about changes in their thinking abilities and are not currently being treated for a memory or other cognitive (thinking) disorder.
WHY can an evaluation of your thinking be beneficial: Many people notice changes in their daily thinking abilities as they age. In recent years, there has been a growing focus within the popular media on healthy aging and prevention of age-related declines in thinking. This increase in information can sometimes lead to concerns or distress for people who begin to notice declines in their thinking abilities. Importantly, although such changes in thinking could at times reflect early signs of a disease, in most cases these perceived thinking difficulties are just a part of the normal aging process. However, chronic worry and distress can sometimes themselves lead to worsening in concentration, reasoning, or memory. If you find yourself worried about changes in your thinking, an evaluation at the CCC can provide much needed answers and, for most, peace of mind. Should our evaluation show that there is some cause for concern, we will provide you with educational materials about available resources and a recommended course of action.
WHAT we do: In order to assist you in understanding potential changes in your thinking, the CCC is currently providing comprehensive screening of your memory, language, speed of thinking, attention and concentration, and reasoning and planning abilities, at a significantly reduced cost. If you choose to undergo such an evaluation, you will be asked to connect remotely with our team via ZOOM. The evaluation will consist of a brief clinical interview, followed by approximately 2 hours of one-on-one remote testing. Testing will also include questionnaires about your emotional functioning that you will be asked to fill out about one week before your appointment. Once testing is complete, we will write a brief report that summarizes your results. You will be asked to meet with us via ZOOM for a feedback session, either later the same day or the following week. At that point, we will provide you with detailed results, as well as with resources, educational materials, and recommendations for what to do next. This will also be an opportunity for you to ask any remaining questions you might have. After the feedback session, you will be given a copy of the report.