Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS)

Title of Assessment 

• Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS)

Author(s) 

• Nina Tumosa, John Chibnall, Mitchell Perry, & John Morley 

Year of Publication/Publisher 

• 2006

• Saint Louis University School of Medicine Division of Geriatric Medicine

Identify Type of Assessment 

• questionnaire

• standardized 

• performance-based

Cost (identify source) & How to Access Assessment (include link if possible) 

• Free

• https://www.slu.edu/medicine/internal-medicine/geriatric-medicine/aging-successfully/pdfs/slums_form.pdf  

Population (who it is appropriate for [age, diagnosis, etc.])  

• 60+ older adults and the geriatric population

• Veterans, Alzheimer's and Dementia, mental health conditions, and cognitive impairment 

Appropriate Settings (potential practice settings appropriate to administer assessment in) 

• must be seated in a quiet room

• inpatient, acute care, skilled nursing facility, home health, and rehabilitation hospitals

Purpose of Assessment & Function(s)/Area(s) Assessed  

•  The SLUMS is used to identify if an individual has dementia or other neurocognitive impairments. It assesses reasoning/problem-solving, mental health, attention, working memory, cognition, and executive functioning 

Administration (time to administer, group/individual, if there are subtests, can they be completed individually, are there specific instructions to ensure standardization, etc.) 

• 4-10 minutes 

• 11 questions

User Qualifications  

• qualified health care professional who has completed the training 

Materials Required  

•  SLUMS assessment form

• writing utensil 

Scoring Procedure (how is assessment scored and what does score indicate)  

• https://www.slu.edu/medicine/internal-medicine/geriatric-medicine/aging-successfully/assessment-tools/mental-status-exam.php 

• The test is out of 30 points. It is an 11-question screening questionnaire. The two different scoring structures are based on what level of education is received.  

• For individuals who have not completed a high school education:  

  • 25-30 = indicates regular cognitive function 

  • 20-24 = indicated mild cognitive impairment 

  • 1-19 = indicates dementia 

• For individuals who have completed a high school education: 

  • 27-30 = indicates regular cognitive function 

  • 21-26 = indicated mild cognitive impairment  

  • 0-20 = indicates dementia 

Psychometrics/Standardization (norms, reliability/validity studies) 

• when comparing the SLUMS to the MMSE, article states that it shows concurrent validity but does not provide numbers.

Strengths & Weaknesses of Assessment  

•  strengths

  • free

  • quick to administer

  • many languages available

  • gives the OTR information about the individuals skills in various areas of cognition.

• weakness

  • no reliability found online

References 

• Farnsworth, C. (2022, December 8). What to know about the slums test for dementia. Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/s-l-u-m-s-test#purpose  

• Saint Louis University Mental Status Exam. Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. (2019, May 15). https://www.sralab.org/rehabilitation-measures/saint-louis-university-mental-status-exam  

• YouTube. (2015, February 11). VA Saint Louis University Mental Status (slums) examination. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4ctoWU-qzw