Assessing dysfunctional behaviors in long-term care.
OBJECTIVE
The Geriatric Level of Dysfunction Scale (GLDS) was developed to assess the intensity, frequency, and duration of 19 behavioral disturbance categories that can potentially interfere with long-term care.


METHODS
Secondary analysis of data collected from residents in long-term care facilities.


METHODS
Participants were 399 adults aged 60 and older residing in one of 16 long-term care facilities.


RESULTS
The GLDS items were analyzed for reliability, content validity, and convergent and discriminant validity. The GLDS items were significantly correlated with items from the Geriatric Multidimensional Pain and Illness Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale, Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination, and the Psychosocial Resistance to Activities of Daily Living Index.


CONCLUSIONS
The GLDS is evidenced to be a reliable and valid assessment tool for assessing dysfunctional behaviors of residents in long-term care facilities. Its brevity and clearly defined assessment criteria are assets to the administering clinician. Research on the utility of the GLDS as a treatment outcome instrument in long-term care is warranted. The potential for psychologists, physicians, social workers, and registered nurses to administer the GLDS in long-term care settings is discussed.
Clifford
P Andrew
PA
Mind-Body Wellness Institute, Senior Connections of Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
Cipher
Daisha J
DJ
Roper
Kristi D
KD
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D011379:Prognosis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution