DEPENDENCY IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE - A POPULATION-BASED SURVEY IN NONDEMENTED ELDERLY SUBJECTS

Little epidemiological data are available on the dependency status of elderly patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) living in the community . This study assessed the activities of daily living (ADL), the instru mental activities of daily living (IADL), and mobility in a representa tive sample of elderly nondemented PD subjects (n = 20), compared to a control population (n = 2,697). We found a significantly higher level of dependency in the PD sample based on ADL, IADL, and mobility scale s. Half of the PD subjects were dependent for ADL (versus 13.2% for co ntrols), 80% were dependent for IADL (versus 28% for controls), and 20 % had their mobility restricted to their home (versus 1.5% for control s). The proportion of PD patients tended to be higher in those more de pressed or with more severe motor symptoms. PD patients were not found to be more isolated socially or from family than was the control grou p and, in any case, dependency seemed not to be associated with isolat ion. When adjusting for age, sex, depressive symptoms, Mini Mental Sta tus examination score, and dyspnea, PD remained significantly associat ed with dependency. PD thus constitutes a significant factor of depend ency in elderly subjects living at home. Institutionalization occurred over four times more frequently in the PD group than in the general p opulation, but no specific factor of institutionalization was noted.