THE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN THE ELDERLY USING VIDEOCONFERENCING

People over the age of 65 were recruited from an inner-city old-age ps ychiatry service. Subjects had a structured interview (the CAMCOG test ) by videoconferencing, and also face to face, by an investigator blin d to the results of the test in the other mode. Reassessments were car ried out within one week of the initial assessment. Eleven subjects we re initially enrolled in the study and eight completed both modes. The number of patients in this study is very small but the results sugges t that the CAMCOG test can be used reliably over a videoconferencing s ystem without major modification.