Ist die Lebensqualität von demenzpatienten messbar? Ein kritischer diskussionsbeitrag.

The assesment of quality of life (DoL) in patiens sufferin from dementia is increasingly called for by public health authorities, particularly for pharmacological intervention studies from a clinical point of view, until now a critical discussion about determinig the QoL of dementia patients has scarcely taken place. The event to whitch a demented patient may be able to asseas his or her own QoL is analysed with regard to the specific deficits associated with the dementia syndrome Although a subjective assesment represents the gold standard of QoL measurement the capacity to provide a reliable subjective QoL estimation is limited in dementia patients. Given the present state of knowledge, it seems reasonable to adhere to objectively measurable data. The question of QoL in dementia must be solved normatively and cannot be based on the subjective assessment of cognitively impaired persons.