Cognitive impairment in daily life (CID): A double-faced instrument to detect changes and impairments in activities of daily living for people with suspected cognitive impairment

Abstract

Background Assessment of cognitive function and its consequences for activities of daily living is an important part of a dementia evaluation. To describe patients’ functional impairment accurately, a feasible instrument is needed. The Cognitive Impairment in Daily Life (CID) is an instrument developed with that purpose. Aim To describe and compare self- and proxy-reported difficulties in everyday life in patients undergoing a dementia investigation, measured by CID. A secondary aim was to compare the results between those who were diagnosed with dementia versus those without dementia. Method Self- and proxy-reported data using CID in 77 cases in dementia investigations. Of those, 32 were diagnosed with dementia and were compared to those without dementia (n = 45). Descriptive statistics. Results When comparing self-reported and proxy-reported activity problems, most activities differed significantly. Proxies reported more difficulties than patients did. When comparing no dementia and dementia groups, significant differences were shown regarding initiative, planning and performance but not for memory and attention estimated by the patient themselves. Proxies differed significantly from patients in all tasks. Conclusion Overall, proxies reported that patients had more difficulties than patients reported themselves. The CID seems to be usable in dementia investigations and the results highlight the importance of involving both patients and relatives.