Table 1.

Validated assessment tools for use in people with dementia

Assessment tool	What is measured?	Characteristics
General medical health rating scale (GMHR)	Presence and assess severity of medical comorbidity in dementia	1–4-point scale, scored by the interviewer; 1–poor, 2-moderate, 3-good, 4–excellent health. A high score indicates high comorbidity burden
Norwegian revised mini mental state examination (MMSE-NR3)	Differentiation of severity of cognitive impairment	0–30-point scale, assessed by the interviewer and answered by the person with dementia. Categorized into four stages of severity: 0–11 = severe, 12–17 = moderate, 18–23 = mild, 24–30 = no impairment
		Six domains are covered: orientation, attention, memory, language, and visual-spatial skills. A low score indicates low cognitive function
Functional assessment staging tool (FAST)	Severity of dementia	1–7-point scale. The primary caregiver stages dementia in 7 stages; 1-normal, 2-normal ageing, 3-possible dementia, 4-mild, 5-moderate, 6-and 7-severe dementia; good reliability and validity. A high score indicates a high severity of dementia
Instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)	Physical function level for instrumental activities	8–31-point scale, answered by the person with dementia. Includes eight items for proxy assessment; use of telephone, shopping, cooking, household, doing laundry, public transport, responsibility for medication, and dealing with economy. A high score indicates poor function
Personal activities of daily living (PADL)	Physical function level for personal activities	6–30-point scale. Six items rated 1–5 for proxy assessment of personal activities such as toileting, grooming, dressing, transfer and eating. A high score indicates poor functioning. A high score indicates poor function