Assessing Quality of Life in Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment

This article discusses theoretical, psychometric, and practical considerations of quality of life assessment in older adults with cognitive impairment. It describes a new measure of quality of life in dementia, the QOL-AD, and examines the reliability and validity of patient and caregiver reports of patient quality of life.

Subjects were 177 patient/caregiver dyads. Patient Mini Mental State Exam scores ranged from 0 to 29, with a mean score of 16 (SD = 7). Each patient and caregiver rated the patient's quality of life on the QOL-AD. Patient functional and cognitive status, psychological state, physical function, and behavior problems were also assessed. Reliability and validity of patient QOL-AD reports were examined across three levels of cognitive impairment.