THE BCAT® APPROACH

The BCAT® Approach is a unique applied concept for assessing and working with people who have memory and other cognitive impairments. It is designed for any clinical and residential setting in which cognitive functioning and cognitive impairment is a central issue. The BCAT® Approach integrates three systems: The BCAT® Test System, the BCAT® Interventions (the BCAT® Online Brain Rehabilitation Modules, the BCAT® Working Memory Exercise Books, the MemPics® Book Series, MemPics® Grab'N Go, and the 3D Behavior Management Program), and the ENRICH® Brain Health Program.  All programs are person-centered and used by healthcare professionals, facilities, patients, caregivers, and other stakeholders. All programs are validated by science.

All BCAT® programs have specific training modules to enhance learning and proficiency.

The BCAT® Test System

The BCAT® Test System is used worldwide by a variety of professionals across multiple settings from acute care and throughout post-acute settings. It is used in healthcare by psychologists, nursing professionals, rehab professionals (PT, OT, ST), care managers, and social services, as well as in home-based programs and anywhere older adults are aging in place.  The BCAT® is unique in that it provides objective measures to determine cognitive abilities and the impact on function.

The BCAT® Test System is comprised of six unique assessment instruments. The primary and foundational test is the Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT®), which is multifactorial.  It can be administered in 10-15 minutes by professionals and techs, is sensitive to the full spectrum of cognitive functioning (normal, MCI, dementia), produces separate Memory Factor and Executive Functions Factor scores, and can predict basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL, IADL). The BCAT® has also been shown to help predict discharge dispositions, identify those most likely to be readmitted to hospitals shortly after discharge, facilitate level of care determinations, aid in fall prevention programs, and help with non-pharmacological behavior management. 

The BCAT®-SF is frequently used within an inter-professional model as a screening tool to identify who should receive broader BCAT® testing and BCAT® Interventions.  The Short Form was designed as a shorter version of the full BCAT® and can be administered in three minutes or less. While it is not as robust or comprehensive as the full BCAT®, it can differentiate between persons with and without dementia.  The short version has strong reliability, construct validity, and predictive validity. 

The Brief Anxiety and Depression Scale (BADS®) is a brief screening tool for mood impairment developed for older adults. It can be administered by a clinician, by proxy (knowledgeable informant), or self-administered for those who are cognitively capable. The BADS® can be administered in less than three minutes and it's online interactive scoring program yields a depression and an anxiety factor score. 

The Kitchen Picture Test of Judgment (KPT®) is one of the two judgment instruments in our suite of tools. It is intended to identify those who require supervision of IADLs. The KPT® utilized an illustration of a kitchen scene in which potentially dangerous situations are unfolding. Patients are asked to describe the scene as fully as they can, to identify the problem situations, to rank the order of importance of each situation in terms of dangerousness, and to offer solutions that would resolve the problems. The KPT® has been found to have construct validity (it measures the construct "judgment") and can be used to identify those who require supervision of IADL tasks and can differentiate between those who have dementia and those who do not.

The Verbal Test of Practical Judgment (VPJ®) is our second judgment test. It is designed to detect more nuanced and subtle judgment problems.  The VPJ® consists of 10 novel applied situations that require reasonable judgment. The VPJ® not only identifies judgment skills level but identifies specific IADL dependencies associated with levels of impaired judgment.  

The Brief Cognitive Impairment Scale (BCIS®) is an 11-item, 14-point scale and was developed to not only track cognitive changes in patients with advanced dementia, but to provide information to better manage behavior problems. We recommend using the BCIS® when severe cognitive impairment has already been established, or when the patient scores under 25 on the BCAT®. 

All tests in The BCAT® Test System have an online report feature that provides patient specific information that can be incorporated into the electronic health record.

Included in The BCAT® Professional License is access to the online  BCAT® Brain Rehabilitation Modules (BRM). These modules are used as cognitive rehabilitation to return the patient to baseline or improve cognitive performance, or to promote positive cognitive functioning and buffer against cognitive decline. The main modules are interactive and target attention, memory, and executive functions. We refer to this triad as the "cognitive task manager" used for everyday functioning. The program is ideal for rehabilitation therapists, and can promote positive rehab outcomes in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.  BRM is also used effectively as facility activities and by residents in their homes.

To purchase your BCAT® Professional License, visit the Licenses Page.

BCAT® Partnership Opportunities

Is your organization looking for a standardized cognitive care delivery model rooted in science?  Allow our experts to consult with you to identify a customized care model that works for your organization.  Email us at info@thebcat.com to speak with our BCAT® Integration team today.