AIM: To determine the applicability and psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Disability Assessment of Dementia scale (DAD-I) in a community-residing population with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: The DAD-I was administered to the primary caregivers of 159 patients (mean age +/- SD 77.1 +/- 5.2) with mild AD (mean Mini Mental State Examination, MMSE, +/- SD 23.1 +/- 2.2). RESULTS: The DAD-I showed excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and good construct validity. The DAD-I score was not significantly associated with gender, education and presumed duration of the illness, and had a low negative correlation with age. The DAD-I score correlated moderately with the traditional Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Activities of Daily Living scales, respectively, with r = 0.53 and r = 0.54 (p < 0.0001). Relatively low, but statistically significant correlations (r ranging between 0.21 and 0.31) with the MMSE were also found. CONCLUSION: The DAD-I was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess functional disability in community-dwelling Italian subjects with early-stage AD. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.
AIM: To determine the applicability and psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Disability Assessment of Dementia scale (DAD-I) in a community-residing population with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: The DAD-I was administered to the primary caregivers of 159 patients (mean age +/- SD 77.1 +/- 5.2) with mild AD (mean Mini Mental State Examination, MMSE, +/- SD 23.1 +/- 2.2). RESULTS: The DAD-I showed excellent internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and good construct validity. The DAD-I score was not significantly associated with gender, education and presumed duration of the illness, and had a low negative correlation with age. The DAD-I score correlated moderately with the traditional Instrumental Activities of Daily Living and Activities of Daily Living scales, respectively, with r = 0.53 and r = 0.54 (p < 0.0001). Relatively low, but statistically significant correlations (r ranging between 0.21 and 0.31) with the MMSE were also found. CONCLUSION: The DAD-I was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess functional disability in community-dwelling Italian subjects with early-stage AD. Copyright (c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Authors: B Guarnieri; F Adorni; M Musicco; I Appollonio; E Bonanni; P Caffarra; C Caltagirone; G Cerroni; L Concari; F I I Cosentino; S Ferrara; S Fermi; R Ferri; G Gelosa; G Lombardi; D Mazzei; S Mearelli; E Morrone; L Murri; F M Nobili; S Passero; R Perri; R Rocchi; P Sucapane; G Tognoni; S Zabberoni; S Sorbi Journal: Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord Date: 2012-03-08 Impact factor: 2.959