Valuing dementia-specific quality of life states

This article, ‘How do people with dementia and family carers value dementia- specific quality of life states? This “Think Aloud” study’ is an exploration of what people and their carers value about dementia care services in relation to their quality of life.

This exploratory study is nested in a larger study that developed a new preference-based scoring algorithm for the AD-5D for people with dementia and their carers to facilitate its application in economic evaluation.

“Data of this nature are essential for economic evaluation to inform decision-making, as it can facilitate the assessment of the benefits of dementia care services and supports from the perspective of those who matter the most, people with dementia and their carers.”

Interviews were conducted with 13 people with dementia and 15 caregivers using a qualitative think aloud approach designed to actively engage people to provide insights into their decision-making when valuing dementia-specific quality of life states.

With dementia consuming approximately 11% of total health and aged care sector expenditures this research provides an important consumer perspective of what is valued and can inform expenditure in the delivery of dementia care treatments and services.

 (Authors: Julie Ratcliffe, Claire Hutchinson, Rachel Milte, Kim-Huong Nguyen, Alyssa Welch, Tessa Caporale, Megan Corlis and Tracy Comans)