Quality of Life of Elderly with Alzheimer's Disease: a Comparative Study Between the Patient's and the Caregiver's Report.

This paper aimed to compare the reports of patients and caregivers about how they perceive quality of life (QoL) in general and each of its dimensions in elderly with Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The participants were elderly diagnosed with AD (n=53) attended by the Exceptional Medication Program in a city in the interior of Sao Paulo; and their respective family caregivers. The QoL measures were obtained through the Quality of Life Assessment Scale on Alzheimer's Disease. The results showed statistically significant differences in the "memory" (p<0.05) and "you in general" (p<0.005) dimensions. Regarding the final score, the average in the patient's version was 29.32 points (sd=6.27), against 28.33 points (sd=5.58) in the family version, p>0.100. Although the relative and patient reports were not identical, the results pointed to a high level of consistency among information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]