Development of a geriatric behavioral self-assessment scale

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Neuropsychological Assessment
• Behavioral Sciences

Background:

• Dementia diagnosis in the elderly requires reliable screening tools.
• Existing scales may not fully capture behavioral changes in mild to moderate dementia.
• The Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric (SCAG) is a basis for developing new assessment instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a new self-rating scale for geriatric behavioral assessment.
• To establish the Self-Assessment Scale-Geriatric (SASG) as a valid and reliable measure.
• To facilitate selective screening of elderly patients with early dementia symptoms.

Main Methods:

• Development of a self-rating scale modeled after the SCAG.
• Validation and reliability testing of the new Self-Assessment Scale-Geriatric (SASG).
• Application of the scale for screening elderly individuals with behavioral changes.

Main Results:

• The Self-Assessment Scale-Geriatric (SASG) was successfully developed.
• The SASG demonstrates validity and reliability in measuring behavioral pathologic changes.
• The scale is suitable for selective screening of elderly patients with mild to moderate dementia symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The SASG is a promising tool for assessing behavioral changes in geriatric populations.
• The scale aids in the early identification of dementia.
• Further research is needed to optimize the SASG's accuracy and utility.