TY - JOUR AB - Purpose The assessment of cognitive impairment in community services for older people remains under-explored. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approach Cognitive impairment was examined in 25 people aged 65 and over with alcohol use disorders, on the caseload of community mental health services over a six-month period. All subjects assessed using Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Assessment (ACE-III).Findings In total, 76 per cent of the group scored below the cut-off point for likely dementia but only 45 per cent of people scored below the cut-off point for tests of language, compared with 68-84 per cent people in other domains.Research limitations/implications This finding has implications for the detection of alcohol-related brain cognitive impairment in clinical settings.Practical implications Standardised cognitive testing is common within mental health services for older people, but may also have utility within addiction services.Social implications The early detection of alcohol-related cognitive impairment can improve social outcomes in both drinking behaviour and the social consequences of alcohol-related dementia.Originality/value This may be the first published study of cognitive impairment in patients under a mental team for older people with alcohol use disorders and offers some unique findings within this sampling frame. VL - 9 IS - 4 SN - 1757-0972 DO - 10.1108/ADD-06-2016-0014 UR - https://doi.org/10.1108/ADD-06-2016-0014 AU - Rao Rahul PY - 2016 Y1 - 2016/01/01 TI - Cognitive impairment in older people with alcohol use disorders in a UK community mental health service T2 - Advances in Dual Diagnosis PB - Emerald Group Publishing Limited SP - 154 EP - 158 Y2 - 2024/05/09 ER -