The Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) measures instrumental activities of daily living
(IADLs), such as preparing balanced meals and managing personal finances. Since functional changes are noted
earlier in the dementia process with IADLs that require a higher cognitive ability compared to basic activities of
daily living (ADLs) (Baird, 2006; Peres et al., 2008), this tool is useful to monitor these functional changes over
time. To further exemplify the importance and utilization of the FAQ, thousands of research participants across the
United States are administered the FAQ annually as part of the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC)
longitudinal research study taking place in 29 National Institute on Aging-funded Alzheimer’s Disease Centers
(Weintraub et al., 2009).