Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with normal life. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia (60-80% of cases) and vascular dementia (after a stroke) is the second most common type. Dementia involves memory loss and other essential thinking skills. Dementia is often mistakenly referred to as “senility”, but aging can happen without such serious memory loss.

Consistent patterns of decline in cognitive function and very low scores indicate that you likely have some form of cognitive decline, but no single test can determine with 100% accuracy that a person has dementia. A comprehensive examination with clinicians often include things like a review of medical history, physical examinations, laboratory tests, standard cognitive function tests (SLUMS is often one of them). This test is meant to complement and not replace the work of trained professionals.

If you fail the test, you should consider seeking a professional. 

The app was designed for a health care  professional, a caregiver, family or friend to administer the test to someone potentially suffering from dementia. It works best when used this way, and the results correlate most closely with published standards. It is possible for a high- functioning person with mild dementia to test themselves since answers must actively be revealed, but it wasn’t intended to be used as such.