The Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) is a simple self-reporting scale for quickly screening older people for anxiety disorders.
Anxiety is very prevalent in older people, but with dementia also presenting as a common illness in this group, mood disorders such as anxiety and depression can be overlooked because the symptoms are similar. This is made more problematic by the lack of research on diagnosing anxiety in adults aged 65 and over.
The GAI has been developed to specifically fill this gap and reflects years of collaborative research led by academics from The University of Queensland’s Schools of Medicine and Psychology. The scale is the first clinically validated anxiety screening tool that can be used with normal older people and older people with mental health problems. It’s easily administered and scored by a range of clinical staff across a variety of health care settings, enabling easier and more accurate screening of anxiety.
The GAI has been translated into 20+ languages and used in at least 20 countries across the world. To date, users include pharmaceutical companies conducting clinical trials who require screening of older people for anxiety; public and private sector healthcare providers; and aged care facilities.
Key features
- Simple, straightforward design: a simple 20 item questionnaire
- Quick and easy to use by a range of health professionals
- Can even be self-administered
- Older adult specific – the GAI has been designed specifically for those aged 65 and over
- Extensively tested and backed by years of research and evidence base.
Visit the GAI website.