Centre for Policy on Ageing



Patterns of onset of disability in activities of daily living with age
Author(s)	Carol Jagger, Anthony J Arthur, Nicola A Spiers
Journal title	Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 49, no 4, April 2001
Pages	pp 404-409
Keywords	Physical disabilities ; Self care capacity ; Mobility ; Longitudinal surveys ; Melton Mowbray.
Annotation	The large general practice that serves Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire includes 3,360 patients aged 75+. Of these, 1,344 were assessed as initially independent without difficulty in all activities of daily living (ADLs). This study investigated the order in which ADLs are lost, and whether the order is invariant between sexes and age groups. 47% subsequently reported disability. The order of activity restriction was bathing, mobility, toileting, dressing, transfers from bed and chair, and feeding. Women had a higher risk of disability in bathing and toileting, while for ADLs there was a significant increase in the risk of disability with increasing age. The order of onset of disability for ADLs was invariant across sex and age group. Lower extremity strength (bathing, mobility, toileting) appears to be lost to older people before upper extremity strength (dressing, feeding). Further work is needed to develop prevention strategies to delay the onset of these disabilities. (RH).
Accession Number	CPA-020115209 A
Classmark	BN: CA: C4: 3J: 8LEC
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.