Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 17, 2025
08:36
The Immersive Cleveland Clinic Virtual Reality Shopping Platform for the Assessment of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living
Published on: July 28, 2022
4.1K
Instruments to Assess Social Functioning in Individuals with Dementia: A Systematic Review
Jessica Grothe1, Georg Schomerus2, Jens Dietzel2
1Institute of Social Medicine, Occupational Health and Public Health (ISAP), Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.
Journal of Alzheimer'S Disease : JAD
|February 13, 2021
Summary
Assessing social functioning in dementia is crucial. This review identified three instruments—NOSGER, SDS, and SF-DEM—with acceptable validity and good reliability, though usability data is limited.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Neuroscience
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Social functioning is a key indicator in dementia diagnosis, progression, and treatment evaluation.
- Valid and reliable tools are essential for accurately measuring social functioning in dementia patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review instruments for assessing social functioning in individuals with dementia.
- To evaluate the feasibility and psychometric properties of these instruments.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines.
- Searches conducted in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases.
- Extraction and synthesis of data on instrument characteristics, feasibility, and psychometrics.
Main Results:
- Eight articles were selected, detailing three instruments: Nurses' Observation Scale for Geriatric Patients (NOSGER), Socioemotional Dysfunction Scale (SDS), and Social Functioning in Dementia Scale (SF-DEM).
- All instruments demonstrated acceptable validity.
- NOSGER (social behavior) and SF-DEM showed high reliability; usability information was scarce.
Conclusions:
- A limited number of valid and reliable instruments exist for assessing social functioning in dementia.
- Future research should focus on feasibility for measuring changes over time, applicability to diverse dementia types/stages, and cross-cultural adaptations.
