Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS)

The RUDAS is a portable 6-item multicultural scale for detecting dementia. Items address executive function, praxis, gnosis, recent memory, and category fluency. It can be directly translated to other languages, without the need to change the structure or the format of any item. The RUDAS does not appear to be influenced by age, gender, education or cultural diversity. It has been endorsed by Immigration New Zealand and NSW Health to standardise and guide mental health clinical documentation. The initial RUDAS paper (published in 2004) won first prize in 2003 International Psychogeriatrics Association Awards for Research in Psychogeriatrics. Information about the RUDAS can be found at www.rudas.com.au.

Publications

· Basic D, Khoo A, Conforti DA, Rowland JT, Vrantsidis F, LoGiudice D, Hill K, Harry J, Lucero K, Prowse RJ. Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination and General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition in a multicultural cohort of community-dwelling older persons with early dementia. Australian Psychologist 2009; 44: 40-53.

· Basic D, Rowland JT, Conforti DA, Vrantsidis F, Hill K, LoGiudice D, Harry J, Lucero K, Prowse RJ. The validity of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) in a multicultural cohort of community-dwelling older persons with early dementia. Alzheimer Disease & Associated Disorders 2009; 23: 124-129.

· Rowland JT, Basic D, Storey JE, Conforti DA. The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) and the Folstein MMSE in a Multicultural Cohort of Elderly Persons. International Psychogeriatrics 2006; 18: 111-120.

· Storey JE, Rowland JT, Basic D, Conforti DA, Dickson HG. The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS): a multicultural cognitive assessment scale. International Psychogeriatrics 2004; 16: 13-31.