Quality of life in dementia: care recipient and caregiver perceptions of quality of life in dementia: the LASER-AD study

Background Quality of Life (QoL) is a key outcome in dementia. Aim To compare care recipients' (CR) and caregivers' (CG) views on CRs' QoL and identify determinants. Methods CRs and CGS completed the Quality of Life - Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale. Results One hundred and ninety-one CR/CG dyads were interviewed. There were differences between determinants of the CRs and CGS views about QoL. Family-CGs rated CRs' QoL higher when CRs had fewer depressive symptoms, less irritability, less apathy, less daily living impairment and lived at home. Fewer depressive symptoms, living at home and taking acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors (AChEI) predicted higher CR rated QoL. Conclusion Proxy ratings in dementia do not replicate CRs' views of QoL. This is the first study to employ a validated QoL measure for people with dementia taking AChEls. Randomised controlled trials are needed before drawing conclusions about their effect on QoL. Interpretation of correlations between QoL and symptoms should be cautious as QoL is designed to reflect the impact of psychological and physical symptoms. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.