Stability and change in functional assessment of patients with geropsychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVES Functional assessments of patients with geropsychiatric disorders accomplished by self-rating, informant rating, and performance test were compared. METHOD Fifty-eight inpatients with major depression or progressive dementia were evaluated on three occasions over 6 months with informant and patient versions of the Activities of Daily Living Scale of the Older Americans Resources and Services Multidimensional Functional Assessment (OARS-ADL) and with the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills (PASS). RESULTS Patients' scores became significantly worse (p < .01) on the informant version of the OARS-ADL and the PASS. Self-ratings with the OARS-ADL did not worsen significantly (p > .05). CONCLUSION Agreement between informant rating and performance test concerning functional status of patients with dementia was good. Elderly patients with depression may experience subtle deterioration that only becomes apparent on performance tests.