Recommendations for assessing motor performance in individuals with dementia: suggestions of an expert panel – a qualitative approach

BACKGROUND: Recommendations for assessing motor performance in individuals with dementia (IWD) are rare, and most existing assessment tools previously applied in IWD were initially developed for healthy older adults. However, IWD and their healthy counterparts differ in motor and cognitive capabilities, which needs to be considered when designing studies for this population. This article aims to give recommendations for motor assessments for IWD and to promote standardisation based on a structured discussion of identified assessment tools used in previous trials. METHODS: Appropriateness and standardisation of previously applied motor assessments for IWD were intensively discussed using a qualitative approach during an expert panel. Furthermore, the use of external cues and walking aids, as well as psychometric properties were considered. Starting with a comprehensive overview of current research practice, the discussion was gradually specified and resulted in the elaboration of specific recommendations. RESULTS: The superior discussion emphasised the need for tailoring motor assessments to specific characteristics of IWD and attaching importance to standardised assessment procedures. Specific recommendations include the use of sequential approaches, which incorporate a gradual increase of complexity from simple to more difficult tasks, a selection of motor assessments showing sufficient relative reliability and appropriateness for IWD, as well as allowing external cues and walking aids when restricted to repeated instructions and commonly used devices, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These are the first recommendations for assessing motor performance in IWD based on a comprehensive qualitative approach. Due to limited evidence, it was not possible to address all existing questions. It is therefore important to evaluate these recommendations in studies with IWD. Besides tailoring and evaluating available assessments, future research should focus on developing specific tools for IWD. Moreover, further progress in standardisation is necessary to enhance comparability between different trials. This article provides initial approaches for overcoming existing limitations in trials with IWD by giving recommendations and identifying future research questions, and therefore contributes to enhancing evidence regarding efficacy and effectiveness of physical activity interventions.