Transcultural adaptation of a French version the quality of life in late-stage dementia (QUALID) scale for older adults with severe cognitive impairment: A preliminary study and research perspectives.

BACKGROUND

Assessing quality of life (QOL) in individuals with severe cognitive impaisrment is challenging, particularly in the absence of a validated tool in French. The Quality of Life in Late-Stage Dementia (QUALID) scale is an internationally used caregiver-reported measure of QOL. This study aimed to culturally adapt and assess the preliminary psychometric properties of the scale in a French-speaking population.

METHODS

A structured cross-cultural adaptation was conducted with expert transversal panel, followed by a pilot study in a long-term care unit. Thirty caregivers assessed 38 patients using the translated scale. Reliability and acceptability were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha, and caregivers' feedback.

RESULTS

From independant scientific and non-scientific adaptations, consensus was rapidly achieved by the multidisciplinary expert panel on the final French adaptation. The pilot study confirmed the quality of the adaptation, where the QUALID scale demonstrated moderate inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.74) but limited internal consistency (α = 0.28). It was well accepted among interviewed caregivers.

CONCLUSION

This study provides a French-adapted QoL scale for older adults with severe cognitive disorders and supports its feasibility in clinical settings, highlighting the need for large-scale psychometric validation of the French QUALID."