The QUALIDEM is an easy to administer and sufficiently reliable rating scale that provides a QOL profile of persons with dementia in residential settings. The QUALIDEM can be used for evaluation as well as for research and practice innovation.

The results of this validation study together with the obtained content validity through the method of construction provide sufficient support for validity of the QUALIDEM to be used for care evaluation and research in residential settings.

Background:In this review, we study the effects of dyadic psychosocial interventions focused on communitydwelling people with dementia and their family caregivers, and the relationship of the effects with intervention components of programs.

Combined programmes may improve some, not all, aspects of functioning for caregiver and person with dementia. Care professionals must define their programme goals and target groups before advising their clients on a combined programme. Research may focus on the effects of programmes that were introduced fairly recently and on subgroups of caregivers (female caregivers, depressed caregivers and people with dementia, and minorities).

When the interest is primarily on people with dementia, a dementia-specific instrument is to be preferred. Further clarification of the concept of QOL and particularly its relation to disease severity is required.