Perceived Change Index (PCI)

The Perceived Change Index asks a family caregiver whether their own life has got better or worse over the past month. Most caregiver measures ask how bad things are; this one asks which direction things are moving, which is what tells you whether support is working.

Thirteen areas are rated on a five-point scale from got much worse through stayed the same to improved a lot. They cluster into three: affect, meaning mood and emotional state; somatic wellbeing, meaning sleep, rest, and physical health; and ability to manage the day-to-day demands of caregiving. Totals run 13 to 65, and higher means things are improving.

Licensing Notes: The scale is reproduced in trial protocols and posted by the National Alzheimer's and Dementia Resource Center without a posted fee.

Learn More: Validation showed it correlates with fewer depressive symptoms and more social participation, while — as intended — showing no association with the care recipient's cognitive or functional status. A caregiver can be doing better while the person they care for declines, and the PCI is built to detect that.