The dissertation thesis focuses on the topic of construction of new questionnaire, which is developed from four already existing questionnaires of activities of daily living. This new questionnaire summarizes strengths of those four and submits only those activities, which are affected at the early stage of Alzheimer's dementia. The topic is introduced in the broad context of social sciences, medical science and also submits the practical issues, considering effects of Alzheimer's disease to life of patient and his closest ones. New questionnaire, which is the result of empirical research, is based on correlation analysis of three commonly used screening cognitive tests and four questionnaires which evaluate activities of daily life, which are, used as best practice in the Counseling Center for Memory Disorders Clinic of Neurology of Faculty Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady in Prague. The research sample consists of patiens, who are affected with Alzheimer's disease already. That means, that the new questionnaire can be used as a tool for those, who are the patient's closest ones for purpose of screening and reviewing abilities of daily living over time. The questionnaire also presents comprehensively compiled a list of activities of daily living which Alzheimer's disease affects in early stage and this list...

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is a tool that could help improve the coordination between health and social services. This classification will help with communication as a common language in interprofessional rehabilitation team. The research objective of our thesis is to investigate the practical applicability of ICF in health and social services in the field of regulations governing entitlement to "special aids", i.e. Act No. 329/2011 and Decree No. 388/2011, as amended.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients’ informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers’ burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients’ CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives. Using standardized questionnaires, primary data from patients and their main informal CGs (n = 249) were collected. Patients’ functional status and disease severity were evaluated using the Barthel Index, the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the King’s Stages for ALS. The caregivers’ burden was recorded by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Comorbid anxiety and depression of caregivers were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale evaluated their health-related quality of life. The caregivers’ burden was high (mean ZBI = 26/88, 0 = no burden, ≥24 = highly burdened) and correlated with patients’ functional status (rp = −0.555, p < 0.001, n = 242). It was influenced by the CGs’ own mental health issues due to caregiving (+11.36, 95% CI [6.84; 15.87], p < 0.001), patients’ wheelchair dependency (+9.30, 95% CI [5.94; 12.66], p < 0.001) and was interrelated with the CGs’ depression (rp = 0.627, p < 0.001, n = 234), anxiety (rp = 0.550, p < 0.001, n = 234), and poorer physical condition (rp = −0.362, p < 0.001, n = 237). Moreover, female CGs showed symptoms of anxiety more often, which also correlated with the patients’ impairment in daily routine (rs = −0.280, p < 0.001, n = 169). As increasing disease severity, along with decreasing autonomy, was the main predictor of caregiver burden and showed to create relevant (negative) implications on CGs’ lives, patient care and supportive therapies should address this issue. Moreover, in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the CGs, new concepts of care have to focus on both, on not only patients but also their CGs and gender-associated specific issues. As caregiving in ALS also significantly influences the socioeconomic status by restrictions in CGs’ work lives and income, and the main reported needs being lack of psychological support and a high bureaucracy, the situation of CGs needs more attention. Apart from their own multi-disciplinary medical and psychological care, more support in care and patient management issues is required.

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