Characterising Parkinson’s disease in the interRAI-Home care assessment

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder. This research compared the characterisation of cognitive functioning, motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms in PD by the interRAI-Home Care Assessment (interRAI-HC) with a battery of detailed neuropsychological tests. A small sample of 34 participants were classified by cognitive status (PDN= Normative cognition, PDMCI=Mild Cognitive Impairment, PDD=Dementia) using current Movement Disorder Society criteria to evaluate whether the interRAI-HC could identify differences of functioning for these groups to reflect the differences of need indicated by research. This comparison also provided preliminary evaluation of the external validity of some corresponding interRAI-HC measures in the assessment of PD. Results of the interRAI-HC saw trends of agreement with neuropsychological testing, however very few measures distinguished significant group differences. The interRAI-HC assessment of falls, instrumental activities of daily living, short-term memory and procedural memory showed convergence with neuropsychological measures. However further research is required to clarify the characterisation of PD by the interRAI-HC, and further validate these measures for this population.

LG VB KF