[Psychosocial assessment scale for demented in patients]

A crisis is an episode of desorganisation of the individual balance for the patient and his circle, but it is also an occasion for adaptation to the new systemic context created by the disease. The subjective assessment of clinical improvement made by the patient and staff should be completed by objective measures of the clinical evolution that reflects the efficiency of the care programs. This article describes the development of a french version of the Health of Nation Outcome Scale 65+F (HoNOS65+F) and shows that it can be used for the initial assessment in the context of crisis units. In addition, a recent study performed in our division demonstrated the sensitivity and specificity of this instrument for the assessent of changes in depressive symptoms in demented.