HDS-R Launch

Hierarchic Dementia Scale-Revised (HDS-R)

The DTSC has launched the Hierarchic Dementia Scale – Revised (HDS-R), delivering an updated HDS assessment tool and a series of train the trainer workshops. The Hierarchic Dementia Scale, a reliable, validated assessment tool that assesses 20 different cognitive dimensions was originally created in the late 1970s by Canadian psychologists Dr Martin Cole and Dr Dolly Dastoor.

The assessment tool was widely used, particularly in Western Australia, however it was appearing dated and did not meet current health and safety guidelines. Terrie Simpson, an Occupational Therapist and WA DTSC Project Officer worked with the original developers to modernise the assessment and make it more acceptable for use in current dementia care practice.

The original structure of the assessment remains intact but the items used within it have been updated, for example, a task requiring the person with dementia to light a candle with a match has been replaced with the task of putting toothpaste on a toothbrush.

The new HDS-R kit uses colour-coordinated logos to identify the 20 different subscales. It features laminated wipe-clean surfaces on the flashcards, washable plastic items instead of wood for the construction tasks and a new manual and scoresheet which continue the colour coding to orient users to the various cognitive domains.

Concurrently with this project, Terrie held a DTSC Fellowship (from VIC/TAS DTSC) to design new workshops to train health professionals in the use of the assessment. The two projects have now been pulled together to create a new, interactive and experiential workshop format in which participants will:

• Understand the underpinning theory of the Hierarchic Dementia Scale – Revised (HDS-R)
• Demonstrate ability to assess people with dementia using the HDS-R
• Combine the results of the HDS-R assessments with the Possibility Oriented Approach to provide person-centred interventions

Workshops are now being planned around Australia (see Events page for details). These will use a “Train the Trainer” approach and attendees will be provided with resources to enable them to pass the training onto others within their workplaces. Further developments for this project will include a computer app to automatically create reports, graphs and care plans, plus a training DVD which will demonstrate the use of the HDS-R with people with various stages of dementia.

Photo from the launch L-R: Heather Freegard (developer of the Possibility Oriented Approach), Dr Dolly Dastoor Ph.D, McGill University, Montreal, Canada (one of the original developers of the HDS), Terrie Simpson, Occupational Therapist and Project Officer, WA DTSC, and Jenny Fowler, Occupational Therapist, member of HDS-R Project Expert User Group Further information on the HDS-R