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INTRODUCTION: Social functioning is a core domain in the life of people with dementia, but there is no accepted instrument to measure it. We aimed to develop the Social Functioning in Dementia (SF-DEM) scale and test its psychometric properties for assessing social function in people with dementia. METHODS: We interviewed people with mild dementia and family caregivers to develop patient and caregiver-rated SF-DEM versions and refined them through interviews with health care professionals. We tested its psychometric properties in 30 dyads of people with dementia and family caregivers. RESULTS: = 0.59, 95% CI 0.29-0.78). All participants found it acceptable. Analyses showed reliability (test-retest, inter-rater, internal consistency) and indications of responsiveness to change. DISCUSSION: SF-DEM shows promise as a valid, reliable, acceptable measure of social functioning in dementia.
Sommerlad et al. (Sun,) studied this question.