People with Dementia in the Community: Satisfaction with Life and Health-related Quality of Life

Purpose: To assess the satisfaction with life and health-related quality of life of patients
with dementia living in the community.
Design/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional study. A questionnaire was
administered to 50 subjects identified in the community. Instruments used included the EQ-5D,
Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and Barthel Index (BI).
Findings: It is possible to use a self-report approach with EQ-5D and SWLS as assessment
measures in the Portuguese community context. EQ-5D average score was 0,43 points and EQ-VAS
average score was 56,04 points. SWLS average score was 17,32 points. BI average score was
13,82 points.
Originality/value: This study is the first to assess the health-related quality of life of
patients with the dementia exclusively in the Portuguese community context.