Memory & Dementia Concern Screen: Decide Whether to Talk with Your Doctor

How the AD8-informed score is calculated

The Memory & Dementia Concern Screen helps you describe changes from your usual abilities; it cannot establish their cause. The screen has 12 yes-or-no items grouped into four areas: 3 on memory and repetition, 2 on word-finding, 4 on judgment and decision-making, and 3 on daily tasks. Each "yes, a change" answer adds one point, for a concern score from 0 to 12, and the breakdown reports the same four groups separately so you can see where changes are concentrated rather than only the total. A score of 0 falls in the few-concerns band, 1 to 2 in some-changes, and 3 or higher in the several-changes band that points toward a prompt conversation with a doctor.

This structure follows the AD8's own logic: it deliberately sets a low bar, because missing an early, treatable cause costs more than a conversation that turns out to be unnecessary. A single point is enough to move you out of the reassuring band on purpose, not because one change alone is alarming.

These are the scoring rules of this adapted page, not validated AD8 cutoffs. Answers marked unsure or prefer not to say do not increase the concern score. A low result can therefore reflect uncertainty or incomplete information. If you cannot judge whether an ability has changed, bring that uncertainty to your doctor rather than treating the score as reassurance.

Memory & Dementia Concern Screen vs other cognitive tests

This screen has one job: help you decide whether recent changes from your own baseline are worth a doctor visit. The Dementia Test asks more directly about the pattern of symptoms associated with dementia itself, which is useful if you already suspect that specific diagnosis and want a more targeted screen. The Cognitive Function Test looks at five areas of everyday thinking, attention, and planning without assuming anything is declining, which suits someone who wants a general snapshot rather than a change-over-time signal.

If what you are noticing feels more like fog, slowness, or trouble concentrating than actual memory loss or confusion, the Brain Fog Test may describe it better, since fog is often tied to sleep, stress, hormones, or medical causes that differ from the pattern this screen looks for. None of these four tests diagnoses anything. Each simply points you toward the right conversation to have next.

The Psychology.com tests hub brings these educational screens together. Completing more questionnaires is optional; persistent concerns or changes affecting safety deserve a medical discussion regardless of the results.

Preparing for the appointment

A little preparation helps a primary-care visit go further. Before you go, write down specific examples rather than general impressions: a missed bill, a repeated question, a wrong turn on a familiar route, when it started, and whether it has been getting worse, staying the same, or coming and going. If someone close to you has noticed changes too, ask them to jot down what they have seen, since clinicians weigh a second perspective heavily and it is often more reliable than self-report alone.

Expect your doctor to ask about sleep, mood, alcohol use, current medications, and any recent illness or hospital stay, since each of these can affect memory and thinking on its own. They may order blood work to check thyroid function and vitamin B12, and depending on what they find, a brief office-based cognitive test or a referral to a neurologist. None of this moves quickly toward a dementia diagnosis. Most of it is aimed at finding a cause, and a meaningful share of causes turn out to be treatable. While you wait for the appointment, the Sleep Hygiene Checklist is a reasonable place to start, since poor sleep is one of the most common and most reversible contributors to memory complaints. If the changes are weighing on you or your family emotionally, the Psychology.com therapist directory can help you find a clinician to talk it through alongside the medical workup.

Bring a current medication list, including over-the-counter products and supplements, and describe any recent changes. Ask the doctor what needs assessment now and what follow-up is appropriate if symptoms continue. Sleep advice and emotional support can accompany this evaluation, but they cannot establish why thinking has changed.

When does sudden confusion need emergency care?

Sudden confusion needs immediate medical assessment. If someone abruptly cannot think clearly, seems disoriented, or struggles to speak, seek emergency medical care rather than finishing this screen or waiting for a routine appointment. The NHS guidance on sudden confusion emphasizes that several possible causes need urgent treatment.

Stay with the person if you can do so safely, use calm and simple language, and have their medication information ready for the medical team. A reassuring questionnaire result does not rule out an urgent problem.

Methodology & sources

This screen is informed by the AD8 Dementia Screening Interview developed by Galvin and colleagues (2005), which asks about change from a person's previous level of ability across memory, judgment, interest, and daily function. It also draws on common subjective-memory checklists used in primary care. Items are phrased so you can answer about yourself or about someone you care for, and they focus on change over time, which is what clinicians actually look for. The original AD8 flags possible cognitive impairment at a low threshold by design, so it errs toward suggesting follow-up.

This is an educational screen for deciding whether to seek an evaluation, not a diagnostic test. It cannot diagnose dementia, Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, or any other condition. Critically, many causes of memory and thinking changes are treatable or fully reversible, including poor sleep, thyroid problems, depression and anxiety, vitamin deficiencies, infections, and the side effects of common medications. The only way to sort out the cause is a proper evaluation by a doctor.

The original AD8 validation applies to the questionnaire studied by Galvin and colleagues. This page changes the item set, response options, and result groupings, so its concern bands should not be interpreted as having the same diagnostic accuracy. The categories describe reported changes and do not measure performance on a clinician-administered cognitive examination.

Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW
Reviewed the instrument adaptation, scoring bands, and interpretation language for accuracy, a careful non-alarmist tone, and clear medical-referral framing. Last reviewed September 16, 2026.

References

1. Galvin JE, Roe CM, Powlishta KK, et al. The AD8: a brief informant interview to detect dementia. Neurology. 2005;65(4):559-564.
2. Galvin JE, Roe CM, Coats MA, Morris JC. Patient's rating of cognitive ability: using the AD8, a brief informant interview, as a self-rating tool to detect dementia. Arch Neurol. 2007;64(5):725-730.
3. Alzheimer's Association. 10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's and Dementia. Chicago, IL: Alzheimer's Association.
4. Knopman DS, Petersen RC. Mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: a clinical perspective. Mayo Clin Proc. 2014;89(10):1452-1459.
5. National Health Service. Sudden confusion (delirium). nhs.uk/symptoms/confusion/

Memory & Dementia Concern Screen FAQ