Predictors of functional impairment and awareness in people with dementia, mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults from a middle-income country.

Objective: To investigate the demographic, clinical and cognitive correlates of functional capacity and its awareness in people with dementia (PwD; = 104), mild cognitive impairment (PwMCI; = 45) and controls (healthy older adults; = 94) in a sample from a middle-income country.

Methods: Dementia and MCI were diagnosed, respectively, with DSM-IV and Petersen criteria. Performance in activities of daily living (ADL) at three different levels [basic (The Katz Index of Independence), instrumental (Lawton instrumental ADL scale) and advanced (Reuben's advanced ADL scale)], measured through self- and informant-report, as well as awareness (discrepancy between self- and informant-report), were compared between groups.

The impact of dementia, depression and awareness on activities of daily living in a sample from a middle-income country.

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that dementia and depression have a considerable impact on the functional capacity of older adults, also influencing awareness about ability. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the impact of dementia, depression and awareness on activities of daily living (ADL) in a sample from a middle-income country.

Methods: The current study explored impairments in basic, instrumental and advanced ADL using a factorial design comparing four groups: people with dementia and depression, people with dementia without depression, older adults with depression but no dementia and healthy older adults.