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The Erlangen Test of Activities of Daily Living: first results on reliability and validity of a short performance test to measure fundamental activities of daily living in dementia patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 October 2008

Elmar Graessel*
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Psychiatric University Clinic Erlangen, Germany
Reena Viegas
Affiliation:
Clinic Grabs, Grabs, Switzerland
Renate Stemmer
Affiliation:
Catholic University of Applied Sciences Mainz, Germany
Brita Küchly
Affiliation:
Social Centre “Sophienstrasse” Erlangen, Germany
Johannes Kornhuber
Affiliation:
Psychiatric University Clinic Erlangen, Germany
Carolin Donath
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Psychiatric University Clinic Erlangen, Germany
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Prof. Dr. Elmar Graessel, Psychiatrische Universitätsklinik Erlangen, Schwabachanlage 6, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany. Phone: +49 9131 85 34810; Fax: +49 9131 85 36593. Email: elmar.graessel@uk-erlangen.de.

Abstract

Background: In the absence of an easily applicable performance test for making valid measurements of fundamental activities of daily living (ADL) in dementia patients, this study reports the development of an ADL performance test which constitutes both a reliable and a valid measurement of the relevant autonomous areas of everyday activities for dementia patients.

Methods: The Erlangen Test of Activities of Daily Living (E-ADL-Test) consists of five items: pouring a drink, cutting a piece of bread, opening a small cupboard, washing hands and tying a bow. Each test item underwent standardized evaluation on a scale of 0 to 6. To determine retest reliability each assessment was repeated at two-weekly intervals. The Global Deterioration Scale, Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Nurses' Observations Scale for Geriatric Patients (NOSGER) were used to assess construct validity. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was applied. Forty-six patients (42 women and 4 men) with clinically diagnosed dementia, who were resident in nursing homes, took part in the validation study. Their average age was 86.

Results: The E-ADL-Test revealed good inter-individual differentiation ability, particularly in cases of moderate to severe dementia. Cronbach's α was 0.77, retest reliability 0.73. The correlation coefficients were −0.47 with GDS, 0.60 with NOSGER and 0.72 with MMSE.

Conclusions: The E-ADL-Test is a suitable performance test for measuring activities of daily living as it is easy to use, reliable, valid and well accepted.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2008

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