2001 Articles

Longitudinal Study of Quality of Life in People with Advanced Alzheimer's Disease

Albert, Steven M.; Jacobs, Diane; Sano, Mary; Marder, Karen; Bell, Karen L.; Devanand, Devangere P.; Brandt, Jason; Albert, Marilyn; Stern, Yaakov

The authors examined three indicators of health-related quality of life in people with advanced Alzheimer's disease ([AD]; N = 150): confinement to home, null activity, and null positive affect, as reported by patient proxies. Dementia severity predicted time-to-onset for all three disease milestones in models that controlled for sociodemographic indicators, nursing home status, and death in the follow-up period. Patients whose dementia worsened over follow-up were more likely to reach each milestone. These outcomes represent key milestones in the care of patients; they are sensitive to disease progression, and they are likely to be useful for studying treatment in advanced AD.