The De-Sign Platform: An Online Psychometric Tool for Dementia Screening of Deaf Older Adults in two Sign Languages, GSL and ÖGS

Abstract

This article presents the De-Sign platform, a web-based psychometric tool specifically designed for screening dementia in Deaf older adults (50+) who use Austrian Sign Language and Greek Sign Language hereinafter ÖGS and GSL respectively. The limited access to dementia services for these populations is primarily attributed to a scarcity of healthcare professionals fluent in sign language. Hence, enhancing access to relevant diagnostic services has become a priority. Currently, there is a significant lack of screening tools specifically developed to identify early signs of dementia that are compatible with national sign languages. To address this issue, the De-Sign Erasmus+ (2022-2025) project has employed suitable psychometric instruments that are adapted to the cultural contexts and linguistic norms of Deaf communities in Austria and Greece. The only existing Cognitive Screening Test (CST) for British Sign Language (BSL), used for diagnosing dementia in Deaf older adults, was initially adapted from English by Atkinson et al. (2015). The De-Sign platform hosts a cognitive screening test in ÖGS and GSL. Both were linguistically and culturally adapted from the BSL-CST test, providing two web-based versions of a psychometric tool that enables dementia screening within these populations.

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