Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool (KICA)

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a unique cultural heritage. However prior to this study there was no validated tool to assess cognition in older Indigenous Australians. To address this deficiency, the researchers have developed a culturally appropriate assessment tool to help determine if an older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person has dementia, and have completed a survey to determine the estimated number of people in remote areas of the Kimberley who manifest signs and symptoms of dementia and associated old age diseases. Preliminary data indicate that the frequency of dementia is higher than expected for people of this age group.

The Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment (KICA) was developed with Aboriginal health and aged care organizations, and comprises cognitive, informant and functional sections. The KICA tool is a reliable assessment tool for cognitive impairment in an Australian older traditionally living Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

For more information and to see the latest developments of the KICA tool visit the Chronic Disease - Healthy Kimberley website.

Publications:

• Smith K, LoGiudice D, Dwyer A, Thomas J, Flicker L, Lautenschlager NT, Almeida OP, and Atkinson D. Ngana minyarti? What is this? Development of cognitive questions for the Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment. Australas J Ageing 2007;26:115-119
• LoGiudice D, Smith K, Thomas J, Lautenschlager NT, Almeida OP, Atkinson D, and Flicker L. Kimberley Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool (KICA): development of a cognitive assessment tool for older indigenous Australians. Int Psychogeriatr 2006;18:269-280

Download

Plain language report (12 KB .pdf)

KICA tool (54 KB .dpf)