Direct assessment of quality of life (QoL) of persons with dementia has largely been ignored
due to logistical, conceptual and practical issues. This article presents a diseasespecific
conceptual framework of QoL for dementia. Based on this conceptualization, a 29-item
instrument designed to assess QoL by direct interview with dementia patients was
developed and tested on 99 participants. The data show that the instrument is reliable and
shows evidence of validity. Nearly all participants (96%) were able to respond to questions …

Conceptualization and measurement of quality of life as an outcome variable for health care
intervention and research¶ If health care providers are to be able to document effective
outcomes resulting from their interventions, they must first develop clear conceptual
definitions for the outcomes, and then select measures that represent these concepts. No
consensus exists in the health care disciplines about what quality of life is or how it should
be measured. This paper presents historical and conceptual arguments in favour of a …