| Sumario: | Background: Generally, little information is available on the cognitive status of institutionalized elderly persons. The intelligent voice-guided digital assistant THALIE is a computer-based device measuring memory, executive functions, language, visuo-spatial skills, and attention, developed to facilitate the cognitive assessment of residents in nursing homes. Objective: The objective was to determine its feasibility of implementation for the clinical assessment of cognitive functioning in residents in nursing homes. Methods: The computerized battery THALIE consisting of five neuropsychological tests and the traditional paper-and-pencil MMSE were administered to 14 elderly participants residing in three French nursing homes (EHPAD) who had mild-to-moderate cognitive impairment, potentially due to Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. Non-parametric Spearman's correlations were performed to assess the association between THALIE and MMSE scores. Individual neuropsychological performance profiles were determined. Results: THALIE performances were weakly correlated with MMSE score. THALIE gave a better overview per resident of the extent of impairment of their various cognitive functions than the MMSE used alone, and made it possible to identify less impaired functions. Conclusion: The feasibility of THALIE computerized cognitive assessment of residents in nursing homes is confirmed. It allows to evaluate various neurocognitive functions in nursing-home residents and holds much promise for setting up personalized cognitive care plans for these subjects.
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