TheAlzheimer Functional Status Inventory (AFSI) was developed to assess a kinesiotherapy program for 22 randomized pairs ofpatients with Senile Dementia ofthe Alzheimer Type (SDAT) residing in the Dementia Study Unit of the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial VA Medical Center; Bedford, Massachusetts. The AFSI was developed by an interdisciplinary team to overcome some of the limitations of standard geriatric instruments to detect changes in functional status in SDATpatients following a rehabilitation program. The AFSI, which is performance-based, includes items adapted from Granger 's PULSES Profile and activity disturbances itemsfrom the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (BEHAVE-AD), items on mood andbehaviorduring assessment, as well as, one on communication status. The AFSI thus includes items which evaluate physical, psychosocial, and cognitive dimensions offunctional status.. Time to complete tasks. The internal consistency reliability coefficient for the 12AFSIfunctional status items was a=.97. Test-retestand interrater reliability oftheAFSIon eightpatients revealed it to be reliable (R =.96 and R =.98, respectively). Discriminant analysis revealed that the AFSI could discriminate between other geriatric patients and those with SDAT (p=.OJ N=24 SDAT and N=8 Geriatric Unit patients) The AFSI is a reliable, valid, and easily administeredfunctional status assessment instrument. " ---at UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO on June 29, 2015 aja.sagepub.com Downloaded from

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