DEMENTIA AND EVERYDAY COMPETENCE - EFFECTS BEYOND ADL AND IADL

Using a time-budget method in a 3 year longitudinal study with a contr ol group design, substantial reductions in the engagement of non-oblig atory instrumental, social, and leisure activities could be found in a group of mildly to moderately demented patients. Controlling these ch anges for differences in baseline parameters, the dementia-specific re duction was about 1 1/2 hours compared to a non-psychiatric control gr oup. These clinically relevant changes in activity levels underscore t he importance of these activity domains with regard to the development of diagnostically useful indicators at the early stages of dementia. Time-budget methods seem to be particularly useful to close the diagno stic gap with regard to the assessment of everyday competence indicato rs especially at early stages of the dementia illness.