A CASA position paper is proposing regular cognitive testing for pilots over the age of 66.
The paper was produced by the Aviation Medicine Branch in respect of managing medical risks proposed by “maturer” pilots.
Testing for cognitive function would, if adopted, take the form of a flight test and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) applied to Class 1 and 2 medicals and a functional test and MOCA for Class 3.
In introducing the paper, CASA’s Principal Medical Officer Pooshan Navanthe outlined the issues of dealing with an ageing pilot population.
“This risk assessment is difficult because the onset of
different clinical conditions is extremely variable, and so chronological age
is not a dependable indicator of performance in all the different domains.
“Mirroring the risk assessment approach common to all other clinical
conditions, the approach was centred around requiring applicants to demonstrate
adequate performance of critical systems (e.g., cardiovascular, cognition, etc)
where the statistical risks become significant.”
The position paper goes on to say that “chronological age [is] not a dependable indicator of performance as the onset of the many problems of age was variable and not well predicted in an individual case.”
However, it suggests there is enough evidence to link the onset of the following to age.
- Cognitive decrement
- Atrial fibrillation
- Coronary artery disease
- Glaucoma and visual field defects
- Hearing defects
The MOCA was selected as a well-validated test for cognitive decrement that took no longer than 10 minutes and had a high sensitivity. It is also available free.
Want to see how you fare? Try a sample MOCA at www.mocatest.org