© 1998 Oxford University Press
other |
Validity of Direct Assessment of Functional Status as a tool for measuring Alzheimer's disease severity
Alzheimer Unit, IRCCS, ‘S. Giovanni di Dio’. ‘S. Cuore-Fatebenefratelli’ Institute Via Pilastroni 4, 25123, Brescia, Italy
1Geriatric Research Group Brescia, Italy
O. Zanetti. Fax (+39) 30 348255; E-mail: ozanetti{at}master.cci.unibs.rt
Objective: to assess the validity of the Direct Assessment of Functional Status (DAFS) performance-based functional scale for the staging of dementia severity by comparing it with established clinical, functional and cognitive scales. Patients and methods: 93 consecutive Alzheimer's disease patients underwent DAFS. Socio-demographic variables, cognitive status (Mini-Mental State Examination; MMSE), global disease severity (Clinical Dementia Rating; CDR), disease duration, physical performance (Physical Performance Test, PPT) and functional status (as reported by the primary caregiver) were also recorded and basic (B) and instrumental (I) activities of daily living (ADL) assessed.
Results: a significant correlation was found between DAFS and MMSE (Pearson's r = 0.60; P < 0.01), PPT (r = 0.54; P < 0.01) and CDR (Spearman correlation coefficient: –0.48; P < 0.01). A mild, significant correlation was found between DAFS score and daily function as reported by the primary caregiver (r = –0.30 for BADL and r = – 0.27 for IADL). On multiple regression analysis, only MMSE and PPT were independently associated with the DAFS score, explaining 56% of DAFS total variance. ADL scales did not independently contribute to DAFS variance. A multivariate regression model of the association of DAFS with CDR showed that the association was significant even after adjustment for MMSE and PPT, suggesting that DAFS scores provide additional information on dementia severity.
Conclusion: DAFS is a valid tool for the assessment of dementia severity, capturing cognitive and physical aspects of disability.
Keywords: activities of daily Iiving, dementia, functional assessment
Received February 13, 1997; accepted in revised form September 29, 1997.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  D. R. Royall, E. C. Lauterbach, D. Kaufer, P. Malloy, K. L. Coburn, K. J. Black, and The Committee on Research of the American Neuropsy The Cognitive Correlates of Functional Status: A Review From the Committee on Research of the American Neuropsychiatric Association J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, August 1, 2007; 19(3): 249 - 265. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. A. Rapp, M. Schnaider Beeri, J. Schmeidler, M. Sano, J. M. Silverman, and V. Haroutunian Relationship of Neuropsychological Performance to Functional Status in Nursing Home Residents and Community-Dwelling Older Adults Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, June 1, 2005; 13(6): 450 - 459. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. M. Brickman, A. Riba, K. Bell, K. Marder, M. Albert, J. Brandt, and Y. Stern Longitudinal Assessment of Patient Dependence in Alzheimer Disease Arch Neurol, August 1, 2002; 59(8): 1304 - 1308. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Arguelles, D. A. Loewenstein, C. Eisdorfer, and T. Arguelles Caregivers' Judgments of the Functional Abilities of the Alzheimer's Disease Patient: Impact of Caregivers' Depression and Perceived Burden J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol, June 1, 2001; 14(2): 91 - 98. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. A. Loewenstein, S. Argüelles, M. Bravo, R. Q. Freeman, T. Argüelles, A. Acevedo, and C. Eisdorfer Caregivers' Judgments of the Functional Abilities of the Alzheimer's Disease Patient: A Comparison of Proxy Reports and Objective Measures J. Gerontol. B. Psychol. Sci. Soc. Sci., March 1, 2001; 56(2): 78P - 84. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|