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ABSTRACI'. Two methods for obtaining estimates of everyday functioning in elderly patients were described: the Present Functioning Questionnaire (PFQ) and the Functional Rating Scale (FRS). The PFQ obtains information from a collaborative informant with respect to number of reported problems in five areas of everyday functioning: personality; everyday tasks; language skills; memory functioning; and self-care. The FRS integrates assessment information from multidisciplinary sources in eight areas crucial to the establishment of diagnoses in dementia: memory; social/community/ D. Crockett is affiliated with the Division of Psvcholoev. De~artment of Psvchiatry, University of British Columbia. H. occupational; homehobbies; personal care; language skills; problem solving; affect; and orientation. Reliabili studies indicate a high de ee of consistence for both scales. W en the rating of normal f X el erly subjects and patients with suspected malignant memory disorders were compared, the rating scales showed a good level of discriminant validity. These results were interpreted as indicatin that the use of these scales will enhance research into the relationskp of the course of dementing diseases and competency to deal with everyday life.

Use of community services is common among older outpatients with psychotic disorders, but its frequency varies as a function of patient characteristics.

This paper reports the development of a psychological assessment instrument for evaluating the deteriorated elderly patient. The instrument provides information on patient function in eight areas including communication abilities, cognitive status and mood. Analyses were undertaken to determine the psychometric properties of each component of the instrument. Examination of the means and standard deviations indicated that the full range was used for each scale. Examination of interrater reliability yielded values ranging from .92 to .99. Several indices that may be of use in evaluating the significance of change in test scores are also presented. Suggestions are also made for the application of this instrument in both clinical and research settings.