Dementia outcomes are better for those who receive early diagnoses, however, much stigma and fear surrounds help-seeking behaviours for dementia assessment, preventing intervention and support both for people with dementia and carers. Pre-assessment counselling for dementia involves the provision of a counselling service that occurs after approaching a clinician with cognitive or memory complaints, but before undergoing formal diagnosis of dementia. Pre-assessment counselling may help people with suspected dementia and their carers to understand and address concerns with dementia assessment and disclosure. Using PRISMA guidelines, four peer-reviewed publications involving clinicians, people with suspected dementia and carers and pre-assessment counselling were identified and reviewed. These studies used designs including random controlled trials, quantitative questionnaires, qualitative interviews and mixed methods research. The included papers ranged from 2007 to 2020. The impact of pre-assessment counselling is examined using content analysis. Themes including psychological adjustment for people with dementia, quality in delivering diagnoses for healthcare practitioners and the importance of including family members in the diagnosis journey were identified as the most significant impact of pre-assessment counselling. Limited literature exists to empirically evaluate the impact of pre-assessment counselling but the findings suggest that preassessment counselling provision is critical within the process of diagnosis.

Abstract The increasing diversity within the UK population presents challenges in accurately diagnosing cognitive impairments, such as dementia, among non-English speaking individuals. Existing tools, such as the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination III (ACE-III), may not adequately address linguistic and cultural differences, leading to potential diagnostic inaccuracies. This study aims to evaluate the clinical validity of the newly developed Non-English Speaking Cognitive Test (NESCT) as a culturally sensitive alternative for use in Memory Assessment Services (MAS). This pilot study recruited eight English-speaking participants, each completing both the ACE-III and NESCT. The NESCT was designed to assess cognitive functioning across five domains (attention, fluency, language, visuospatial, and memory) in a way that minimises language dependency. Spearman’s Rho correlation was used to assess the relationship between scores on the ACE-III and NESCT across these cognitive domains. The results indicated strong positive correlations in total scores and visuospatial abilities between the NESCT and ACE-III, suggesting NESCT’s potential as a valid cognitive assessment tool. However, language scores demonstrated variability, highlighting areas for further refinement in the NESCT’s language testing component. The findings suggest that the NESCT holds promise as a culturally appropriate cognitive assessment tool, addressing a critical need for language-independent assessments within MAS. While initial results are encouraging, further research with larger, more diverse samples is recommended to validate NESCT’s effectiveness and clinical applicability. Improving diagnostic tools for multicultural populations is essential for equitable and accurate dementia care.