Quality of life in dementia: do professional caregivers focus on the significant domains?

The domains of quality of life that are considered important by people with dementia and professional caregivers are not in agreement. This explorative study addresses the question, "To what degree do professional caregivers, in their daily working routine, focus on the quality-of-life domains that people with dementia consider essential?" Study participants were nursing assistants who work in 24-hour nursing home care and professionals who offer daytime activities. Three hundred and seventy-four caregivers working on 29 units and 3 day care facilities of 13 nursing homes and in 12 meeting centers filled out a questionnaire.

Evaluating the outcome of interventions on quality of life in dementia: selection of the appropriate scale.

Background: A literature study was conducted to contribute to an adequate use of quality of life (QoL) instruments for the evaluation of interventions in dementia care by providing an overview of properties of QoL measures that acknowledge domains important to dementia patients.

Methods: Domains important to patients, and domains that professional caregivers in different settings focus on, are compared to domains represented in nine QoL instruments. Data on psychometrics and applicability are generated.