Abstract
Purpose : The aim of this study was to develop ODAYAKA serenity scale (OS) for elderly persons with dementia and to assess its reliability and validity. Subjects and Methods : The subjects were 122 elderly people 65 years of age and over with dementia who were using an elderly care facility. Nurses and nursing care workers with experience caring for dementia patients were asked to complete the sentence, "My image of a serene elderly person with dementia is____" and after extracting scale evaluation items from the replies obtained and having them weighted by dementia experts, we prepared a draft OS composed of 48 items in 5 domains. We used 3 survey forms in this study : the draft OS, a QOL evaluation scale (AD-HRQL-J), and a behavior and mood disturbance scale (BMD). Results : Based on the results of a factor analysis, we prepared a 25-item scale in 4 domains, and it consisted of 9 items related to "interaction with people around them," 7 items related to "expression of their own individuality," 6 items related to "satisfaction and vigor," and 3 items related to "enjoyment of activities." The correlation coefficients were 0.79 with the AD-HRQL-J and 0.74 with the BMD, and the correlation coefficient with both test methods was 0.97. The Cronbach α coefficient for the scale as a whole was 0.96, and the α coefficients according to the domains were 0.92 for "interaction with people around them," 0.90 for "expression of their own individuality," 0.86 for "satisfaction and vigor," and 0.89 for "enjoyment of activities." Conclusions : The reliability and validity of the OS were verified.
