A Board Game Performance Index – a disruptive innovation to assess people with dementia with different apathy levels

Traditional observation scales could be subjective and less sensitive to behavioural changes in people with dementia with different levels of apathy. This pilot study aims to explore if there is a difference in a comprehensive game index between people with dementia with different levels of apathy. Patients with dementia were recruited and thirteen were selected for this study. Sociodemographic data, apathy levels (APADEM) and a game performance index were collected. Patients were divided into two groups according to the percentile 50 in APADEM and the game performance index was compared. Results demonstrated that patients with different levels of apathy have significant differences in the Board Game Performance Index. Future studies should explore other dimensions in a comprehensive game index and strengthen the methodology with a more representative sample of people with dementia.