Background: Awareness of functional status may underlie specific profiles and differences related to stage severity in
individuals with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
Objective: This study aimed to assess self-reported experiences of awareness of functional activity in people with mild and
moderate AD.
Methods: This is a mixed methods approach. The qualitative part was conducted through semi-structured interviews concerning the experiences and awareness of deficits in 38 older adults with mild or moderate AD. The quantitative approach
included a comparison between groups with regard to concerns of awareness and clinic and demographic data.
Results: Impairment on awareness of disease and awareness of functional deficits was observed even in the mild stages of
AD. There was also a noticeable progression of impairments of both kinds of awareness from mild to moderate stage of
disease. The majority of participants with mild and moderate AD were partially aware of their functional deficits. Both groups
of participants reported some negative impact; however, they were not able to entirely describe their functional status. Also,
deficits to recognize the need for help with hygiene and general tasks were observed. Significant differences were found in
awareness of need for help with general tasks and awareness of need for help with hygiene tasks.
Conclusion: People with mild and moderate AD may describe their aware of the disease better than specific functional
deficits, and most of them can provide some reports concerning to the impact of the disease.
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