Characteristics of Mexican-American elders with dementia presenting to a community-based memory evaluation program

Objective: To determine sociodemographic characteristics associated with the initial presentation of Mexican-American elders to a community-based memory evaluation clinic. Methods: Retrospective review of the charts of 89 Mexican Americans presenting consecutively to an outpatient memory evaluation clinic in San Antonio, Texas. Principal findings: Mexican Americans presented for evaluation with more moderate-to-severe cognitive impairment than previously reported. They also tended to have high levels of IADL (83.1%) and gait/balance (52.3%) impairment, as well as high levels of depressive symptoms (63.1%). Conclusions: Mexican Americans present for initial evaluation for memory decline with moderate-to-severe cognitive decline and significant dementia-associated co-morbidities. In Mexican Americans, caregiver burden, fall risks, depressive symptoms, and need for IADL support should be addressed on the initial visit for memory decline.