Behavioral assessment in Alzheimer's disease: use of a 24-hr log

Although behavioral problems are a central feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), measurement of these behavioral problems has been limited in most studies to retrospective reports of the frequency of behaviors by caregivers. In the present study, 32 caregivers of AD patients completed detailed behavioral logs of their patients' adaptive and ineffective behaviors over a 48-hr period; these logs were then compared with more widely used instruments assessing patients' cognitive functioning, self-care, and behavioral problems. Results illustrate the nature of common behavioral problems in dementia, provide information on the time distribution of behavioral problems, and support the convergent and discriminant validity of one widely used measure of behavioral problems, the Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist. Potential clinical and research uses of the behavioral-log method are discussed.