Lmt. Byrne et al., The sensitivity to change over time of the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale in Alzheimer's disease, INT J GER P, 15(7), 2000, pp. 656-661
Activities of daily living scales can be a useful tool in assessing change
in people with dementia, either as the disease progresses or in response to
treatment. However, little data exist as to the sensitivity to change of i
nstruments used. The Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale was developed
with assistance from the carers of community dwelling people with dementia
to be completed by such people and has been shown to have internal consist
ency as well as face and construct validity. This study aimed to analyse th
e sensitivity to change of the Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale in
people with Alzheimer's disease receiving anticholinesterase medication. Us
ing the Clinician's Global Rating of Change as a gold standard for change,
differences between Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale scores before
and after medication were compared with change in Mini-Mental State Examina
tion, Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive and the Nurses Observa
tion Scale for Geriatric Patients, in 61 older adults receiving anticholine
sterase medication for Alzheimer's disease. Both the Bristol Activities of
Daily Living Scale and the Nurses Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients
are sensitive and specific in predicting improvement or stability as measur
ed by the clinician's global rating of change. However, unlike the Nurses O
bservation Scale for Geriatric Patients, change over time in the Bristol Ac
tivities of Daily Living Scale significantly correlates with change in the
Mini-Mental State Examination and the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-
Cognitive. The Bristol Activities of Daily Living Scale is sensitive to cha
nge in activities of daily living and shows the expected and desirable rela
tionship with measures of cognition. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons,
Ltd.