The aim of this study was to develop a subjective memory questionnaire for use with elderly people after stroke. A 13-item questionnaire was devised using items identified by 10 stroke patients and taken from existing memory questionnaires. It was tested on 50 elderly stroke patients and 50 elderly control subjects. Validation was carried out using the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test (RBMT) and a significant positive correlation was obtained (r= 0.71 ; p <0.001). The correlation between the subjective rating for the normal elderly subjects and the RBMT was not significant. It was concluded that the questionnaire is valid for use with elderly people after stroke but not for normal elderly subjects. The reasons for this discrepancy are discussed.
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