Call for more hospital cognitive tests

A study has found about 40 per cent of elderly people in hospital suffer from cognitive impairment.

Almost half of Australia's hospital patients aged over 65 suffer a cognitive impairment, prompting calls for better screening services.

Those affected are three times more likely to suffer complications in hospital such as pneumonia, delirium and pressure ulcers, the Dementia Care in Hospitals Program found.

At its conference on Thursday, Dementia Australia called for cognitive impairment screenings for acute care patients aged over 65.