Willisau District

Willisau District is one of the five districts (German: Ämter), of the German-speaking Canton of Lucerne, Switzerland. Its capital is the town of Willisau. It has a population of 51,725 (as of 31 December 2014). In 2013 the name was changed from Amt Willisau to Wahlkreis Willisau as part of a reorganization of the Canton. A sixth Wahlkreis was created, but in Willisau everything else remained essentially unchanged.

Willisau District consists of the following municipalities:

References

Coordinates: 47°7′N 7°59′E / 47.117°N 7.983°E / 47.117; 7.983

Willisau

Willisau is a municipality in the district of Willisau in the Lucerne canton of Switzerland. It was formed on 1 January 2006 from the municipalities of Willisau Land (W. Country) and Willisau Stadt (W. Town).

History

Foundation

During the 12th century AD the von Hasenburg family acquired Asuel in the Willisau area. The patronage rights of the Willisau church and the use of a bailiwick within the grand parish of Willisau provided for a substantial income. As privileged vassals and tax-collectors for the House of Habsburg the Hasenburgs' sphere of influence expanded, although they never were granted the title of count.

From spring 1302 to summer 1303, Markward, Heimo and Walter von Hasenburg created the town of Willisau. The existing village was cleared, and the new town counted 150 inhabitants. Possessing a town was a status symbol for the Hasenburgs. The administrative seat of the Hasenburgs was an elevated medieval castle at the base of the mountain, which was later destroyed in the time of the Battle of Sempach. Newer archaeological findings indicate that Willisau already exhibited urban characteristics before its formal foundation.

Amt (country subdivision)

Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to a US township or county or English shire district.

Current usage

Germany

Prevalence

The Amt (plural: Ämter) is unique to the German Bundesländer (federal states) of Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg.

Other German states had this subdivision in the past. Some states have similar administrative units called Samtgemeinde (Lower Saxony), Verbandsgemeinde (Rhineland-Palatinate) or Verwaltungsgemeinschaft (Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia).

Definition

An Amt, as well as the other above-mentioned units, is subordinate to a Kreis (district) and is a collection of municipalities. The amt is lower than district-level government but higher than municipal government, and may be described as a supra-municipality or "municipal confederation". Normally, it consists of very small municipalities (Gemeinden, plural of Gemeinde).

Abbreviated mental test score

The abbreviated mental test score (AMTS) was introduced by Hodkinson in 1972 rapidly to assess elderly patients for the possibility of dementia. Its uses in medicine have become somewhat wider, e.g. to assess for confusion and other cognitive impairment, although it has mainly been validated in the elderly.

Questionnaire

The following questions are put to the patient. Each question correctly answered scores one point. A score of 7-8 or less suggests cognitive impairment at the time of testing, although further and more formal tests are necessary to confirm a diagnosis of dementia, delirium or other causes of cognitive impairment.

See also

References

AMT

AMT may refer to:

Aviation

Businesses and business-related terms

Education

Technology