Relationship of Physical and Functional Independence and Perceived Quality of Life of Veteran Patients With Alzheimer Disease

Abstract

Alzheimer disease not only affects the cognitive function but also impacts one’s abilities to perform daily tasks. This study evaluated for correlation between the quality of life of patients with Alzheimer disease (QoL-AD) and the level of independence and to evaluate the statistical difference between patients’ quality of life and proxy perception of quality of life by utilizing the Katz activities of daily living and QoL-AD on patients and QoL-AD on caregivers. There was a small positive correlation (r = .13) between the levels of physical and functional independence and the perceived QoL. Also, patient consistently had higher QoL-AD than their caregiver counterparts. These findings provide some insight into our need to acknowledge factors that may influence QoL and illustrate the importance of monitoring for executive dysfunction and the safety risk.