Understand cognitive changes. Find clarity. Plan for what comes next.
We provide comprehensive memory and dementia evaluations in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah. Our assessments examine cognitive functioning, including memory, attention, language, executive functioning, and everyday abilities to help clarify cognitive concerns, distinguish possible causes, and provide individualized recommendations for treatment and future planning.
A dementia evaluation is a comprehensive assessment of memory, thinking, behavior, and everyday functioning designed to identify cognitive changes and help determine whether they are consistent with dementia or another condition.
As the CDC explains, dementia is not a single disease. It describes a pattern of cognitive decline that interferes with independent functioning and may result from several underlying conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders.
A thorough evaluation integrates clinical interviews, cognitive testing, medical and psychological history, relevant records, and information from family members or caregivers when appropriate. It also considers potentially treatable contributors to cognitive difficulties, such as depression, sleep disturbances, medication effects, and other medical conditions.
UNDERSTANDING MEMORY, THINKING, AND EVERYDAY FUNCTIONING
Clear answers. Thoughtful assessment. Guidance for the future.
Changes in memory, concentration, language, or decision-making can be concerning, particularly when they begin to interfere with everyday responsibilities. You may notice increasing forgetfulness, difficulty following conversations, changes in judgment, or challenges completing tasks that were previously familiar. Family members are sometimes the first to recognize these changes.
At Utah Center for Psychological Services, we approach cognitive concerns with careful assessment and diagnostic reasoning. Our evaluations examine patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, consider the individual’s medical and psychological history, and explore possible explanations for changes in functioning.
Our goal is to provide meaningful information about cognitive abilities, clarify whether findings suggest a neurocognitive disorder, and offer practical recommendations to support treatment planning, daily functioning, and future decisions.
Occasional forgetfulness can be a normal part of aging. However, persistent or progressive changes in memory, thinking, behavior, or independence may warrant further assessment. A cognitive evaluation can help characterize these changes and determine whether additional medical investigation is needed. The CDC provides additional guidance about dementia symptoms and when to seek professional guidance.
Noticing changes in memory, concentration, or thinking can be unsettling. You may find yourself forgetting recent conversations, struggling to find words, losing track of familiar tasks, or needing more effort to manage everyday responsibilities.
These experiences do not necessarily indicate dementia. Cognitive difficulties can arise from many causes, including normal aging, depression, sleep problems, medication effects, and neurological or medical conditions.
A comprehensive cognitive evaluation can help you:
Identify areas of cognitive strength and difficulty
Determine whether cognitive functioning differs from expected levels
Clarify whether findings suggest mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or another explanation
Establish a baseline for monitoring cognitive functioning over time
Identify appropriate medical follow-up and practical strategies for everyday life
Our goal is to provide a clearer understanding of your cognitive functioning and information that can guide meaningful next steps.
Family members are often the first to notice changes in a loved one’s memory, behavior, judgment, or ability to manage everyday activities.
You may observe repeated questions, difficulty following conversations, increased confusion, changes in personality, or challenges with tasks that were previously routine. It can be difficult to determine whether these changes reflect normal aging, a medical condition, or a developing neurocognitive disorder.
A dementia evaluation can help families:
Better understand the nature and severity of cognitive changes
Identify how cognitive difficulties may affect independence and daily functioning
Clarify diagnostic questions and the need for additional medical evaluation
Develop strategies for communication, organization, and everyday support
Make informed decisions about care needs, safety, and future planning
Our evaluations provide individualized findings and recommendations to help families better understand cognitive changes and coordinate appropriate support.
These symptoms do not necessarily mean someone has dementia. Depression, medication effects, sleep disturbances, medical illnesses, and other conditions can produce similar difficulties.
A comprehensive evaluation can help clarify the pattern of cognitive changes and identify appropriate next steps.
It’s not always obvious when to seek an evaluation. In many cases, concerns develop gradually or feel inconsistent. A dementia evaluation may be helpful if you or a loved one are experiencing:
A dementia evaluation is designed to provide clarity, direction, and meaningful next steps.
Our evaluations can help:
We provide dementia evaluations for:
At Utah Center for Psychological Services, our cognitive evaluations are conducted by licensed psychologists with doctoral-level training and expertise in psychological assessment and diagnostic clarification. Our team has experience evaluating complex cognitive, neurological, and mental health presentations, including concerns involving memory loss, dementia, and other neurocognitive conditions. We integrate standardized assessment findings with clinical history, everyday functioning, and relevant medical information to develop carefully reasoned conclusions. Our goal is to provide meaningful diagnostic information and individualized recommendations that support patients, families, and their healthcare providers.
We discuss current concerns, cognitive changes, medical and psychological history, and goals for the evaluation. With appropriate permission, we may gather information from family members or caregivers about changes in memory, behavior, independence, and everyday functioning.
We use clinical interviews and standardized cognitive measures to evaluate areas such as memory, attention, language, processing speed, executive functioning, and other relevant abilities. Testing is tailored to the individual's needs, symptoms, and clinical presentation.
We review relevant medical records, previous evaluations, medication history, and other available information. When appropriate, we obtain input from family members, caregivers, or treatment providers to better understand the onset, progression, and functional impact of cognitive changes.
You receive a comprehensive written report describing cognitive strengths and weaknesses, diagnostic impressions when appropriate, and individualized recommendations. During feedback, we review the findings, answer questions, and discuss recommendations for medical follow-up, daily functioning, and future planning.
Our cognitive and memory evaluations are designed to understand cognitive changes within the broader context of a person’s medical history, psychological functioning, and everyday life. We examine patterns of cognitive strengths and difficulties, consider how functioning has changed over time, and provide carefully reasoned conclusions to guide appropriate next steps.
We examine memory, attention, language, executive functioning, processing speed, and other relevant cognitive abilities. We consider changes from previous functioning, the progression of symptoms, medical and mental health history, and the impact of cognitive difficulties on everyday activities. Information from family members or caregivers can provide valuable additional context.
We tailor each evaluation to the individual’s symptoms, history, abilities, and referral questions. Our psychologists integrate clinical interviews, standardized cognitive testing, relevant records, and collateral information when appropriate. We carefully consider potential explanations for cognitive changes, including neurodegenerative conditions, depression, sleep disturbances, medication effects, and other medical or psychological factors.
Our reports explain cognitive findings in accessible language and connect them to everyday needs. Recommendations may address additional medical evaluation, treatment planning, compensatory strategies, caregiver support, safety considerations, and appropriate services. We emphasize practical guidance that helps individuals and families make informed decisions about current and future needs.
Many insurance plans cover dementia evaluations. Your estimated cost depends on your plan’s benefits and deductible.
Our team will verify your benefits and provide you a summary of your coverage and estimated cost.
For those not using insurance.
If you or someone you care about is experiencing changes in memory, thinking, or everyday functioning, a comprehensive cognitive evaluation can help provide clarity. Our psychologists offer individualized assessments in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah to help identify cognitive difficulties, clarify diagnostic questions, and guide appropriate next steps.
Some changes in memory can occur with normal aging, but significant or worsening difficulties—especially those affecting daily functioning—may indicate something more. A comprehensive evaluation helps clarify the difference.
No, a referral is not required. You are welcome to contact us directly to discuss your concerns and determine whether an evaluation would be appropriate. If you do have a referral, please provide it when you complete your paperwork.
Yes. A detailed evaluation can provide guidance for medical care, daily support, and future planning, helping families make informed decisions. Understanding cognitive changes can also help families adapt communication and support strategies. The National Institute on Aging offers guidance on supporting individuals with cognitive impairment.
That’s not uncommon. We’re happy to talk with you about what you’re noticing and help you decide whether an evaluation would be helpful.
No. Memory difficulties do not always indicate dementia. Occasional forgetfulness can occur with normal aging, while more significant memory problems may result from depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, medication effects, medical conditions, or neurological disorders.
Dementia involves acquired cognitive decline that interferes with independent functioning. Memory impairment is common, but some forms of dementia initially affect language, behavior, judgment, or other cognitive abilities more prominently than memory.
A comprehensive cognitive evaluation can help determine whether memory difficulties are consistent with expected aging, mild cognitive impairment, a major neurocognitive disorder, or another condition. Medical assessment is also important to identify potentially treatable causes.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) involves measurable changes in memory or other cognitive abilities that are greater than expected for a person’s age and circumstances, but do not substantially interfere with independence in everyday activities.
Dementia, also called major neurocognitive disorder, involves cognitive decline significant enough to interfere with independent functioning. Individuals may experience difficulties managing medications, finances, transportation, household responsibilities, or other activities.
Not everyone with mild cognitive impairment develops dementia. Some individuals remain stable, while others improve or experience further decline.
Psychological and neuropsychological testing can help characterize cognitive difficulties, assess their severity, and provide a baseline for monitoring changes over time.
Yes. Depression can affect memory, concentration, processing speed, motivation, and other cognitive abilities. These difficulties may sometimes resemble symptoms associated with dementia, particularly in older adults.
However, depression and dementia can also occur together. The presence of depressive symptoms does not automatically explain cognitive impairment or rule out an underlying neurocognitive disorder.
A comprehensive evaluation considers mood symptoms, medical history, cognitive testing results, changes in everyday functioning, and the onset and progression of difficulties. This helps clarify potential contributing factors and determine whether additional medical or neurological evaluation is warranted.
Psychological and neuropsychological testing can provide important information about cognitive functioning and help determine whether patterns of impairment are consistent with Alzheimer’s disease or another neurocognitive condition. However, cognitive testing alone cannot definitively establish Alzheimer’s disease as the underlying cause.
A comprehensive diagnostic evaluation may also involve medical examination, laboratory testing, brain imaging, neurological assessment, and, in some cases, specialized Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers.
Neuropsychological assessment is particularly useful for identifying patterns of cognitive strengths and weaknesses, distinguishing cognitive impairment from other contributing conditions, and establishing a baseline for monitoring change.
At Utah Center for Psychological Services, our evaluations provide detailed cognitive findings and recommendations that can inform diagnosis and ongoing medical care.
Some individuals experiencing cognitive decline have limited awareness of changes in their memory, judgment, or everyday functioning. This can occur with certain neurological conditions and is sometimes referred to as reduced insight or anosognosia.
Family members may notice difficulties that the individual does not recognize, including repeated questions, missed appointments, medication errors, or changes in decision-making.
A comprehensive cognitive evaluation considers both the individual’s perspective and, when appropriate and authorized, information from family members or caregivers. This can help clarify how cognitive changes affect everyday functioning.
When someone is reluctant to pursue testing, a discussion with their primary care provider may be a helpful starting point. Evaluation should be approached respectfully, with attention to the individual’s autonomy, decision-making abilities, and clinical needs.
As the Alzheimer’s Association explains, dementia is diagnosed through a comprehensive assessment of cognitive changes, medical history, and everyday functioning. The evaluation typically examines whether there has been a decline from previous cognitive abilities, which areas of thinking are affected, and whether those changes interfere with independence.
The diagnostic process may include medical and neurological examinations, cognitive screening, formal neuropsychological testing, laboratory studies, brain imaging, and information from family members or caregivers.
Because dementia can have several underlying causes, accurate diagnosis requires consideration of alternative explanations, including depression, medication effects, sleep disturbances, and other medical or neurological conditions.
Psychological and neuropsychological evaluations contribute detailed information about cognitive functioning and can help guide further diagnostic investigation, treatment planning, and support recommendations.
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Licensed Psychologist │ Utah License: 12377684-2501
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