Friday, 4 April 2003

This presentation is part of : Quality of life in the aging population

Conceptual and Methodological Issues of Assessing Quality of Life in Dementia

M Brod, THE BROD GROUP, San Francisco, CA, USA

Assessing QoL in Dementia poses both conceptual and methodological challenges. This presentation will provide a robust conceptual framework for QoL in dementia that was developed from clinical experience, the literature, expert and caregiver interviews and patient focus groups. The framework includes domains of Self Esteem, Positive Affect, Negative Affect, Feelings of Belonging and Sense of Aesthetics. The process for developing the DQoL, the first patient reported measure of QoL for this population that is based on the conceptual model will be outlined. Additionally, the psychometric qualities of the DQoL that supports the reliability and validity of the 29-item instrument will be presented. Methodological issues in assessing QoL including dementia patients ability to self report, the use of proxies, questionnaire formatting, logistical issues in assessment and comparisons between healthy aging and demented patients will be discussed.

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