COMPARING MOTOR AND PROCESS ABILITY OF PERSONS WITH SUSPECTED DEMENTIA IN-HOME AND CLINIC SETTINGS

Objectives. Evaluating functional level of persons with diagnosed or suspected dementia is an important part of occupational therapy. The importance of the environment is often highlighted. We investigated the ability of clients with suspected dementia to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) in the clinic versus in their homes. Method. We used the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) to measure the motor and process skill ability of 19 clients with suspected dementia. Results. Using two-tailed paired t-tests, we found no overall difference in IADL motor or process performance between the clinic and home settings. However, of the 19 clients, 6 bad motor ability measures, whereas 5 bad process ability measures that differed significantly between the two settings. Conclusion. The results suggest that if we want to know bow a person with suspected dementia performs in IADLs in a specific environment we should test him or her in that environment.