title: Assessing functioning and self-care abilities in Alzheimer disease research.
abstract: Functional performance is a critical outcome to examine in dementia. The authors review some of the limitations of current research on functional performance and identify a conceptual framework for outcomes research. When considering conceptual frameworks to apply to functional assessment for outcomes research, five broad issues emerge: variability in definitions, an assumed equality between functional performance and capacity, measurement of global task abilities but not abilities for task components, lack of a contextual perspective, and use of a physical disability framework that excludes cognitive disability. When selecting assessment methods, researchers also must consider the implications of informant-based instruments and performance-based instruments. The authors also discuss a conceptual framework for evaluating current functional performance assessment instruments.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205, USA.
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012648:Self Care / Q000145:classification*