In this study, a rapid loss in IADL score was partly explained by persistent apathy.

Some negative neuropsychiatric symptoms such as apathy and depression have a specific relation with functional and therapeutic outcomes of AD, independently from cognitive status. Further studies are needed to establish if apathy represents a particularly severe phenotype of AD.

The findings provide information about PCPs' commitment to the integrated models of care, the legitimization of the CM's role among PCPs, and the appropriate positioning of geriatricians in such models.