Equity of access to a memory clinic in Melbourne? Non-English speaking background attenders are more severely demented and have increased rates of psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare demographic and clinical features of patients from Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) with those from English Speaking Background (ESB) who attended a memory clinic in Melbourne, Australia. Methods: Data on 556 consecutive patients attending the memory clinic were analysed retrospectively. All patients were assessed by a geriatrician (Italian speaking) or psychogeriatrician with the aid of Cambridge Examination for Mental Disorders in the Elderly (CAMDEX) interview schedule. Patients were classified into the categories of dementia, functional psychiatric disorder (including depression), cognitive impairment other than dementia and normal, ..