Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to examine the reliability of the Bayer-Activities of Daily Living (B-ADL) scale when used as a cognitive screening instrument for mild and moderate dementia of the Alzheimer type. This is a retrospective study of 66 patients with dementia. The B-ADL scale was completed by the caregiver or the family member at the first encounter. The internal consistency was found to be 0.94 for the 27 patients that completed all 25 questions in the scale. Significant correlation and receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis were found for the B-ADL total score and subscale 1 (tasks requiring short- and long-term memory) for Clinical Dementia Rating scale. Severity of dementia by the B-ADL scale is statistically similar but not the same as Mini-Mental State Examination. Our findings confirm that B-ADL scale is a valid indicator of the cognitive status of patients with Alzheimer's disease.