THE OLDEST-OLD AND PERSONAL ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING

The aim of this study was to evaluate the actual function of the perso nal activities of daily living in old people living in nursing homes a nd in the community. Another purpose was to evaluate and document the nursing load. The assessments were made over a four-week period. Two g roups of individuals, aged 80 years or older, were compared with respe ct to ability to perform activities of daily living. The first group c omprised old people who had been resident in nursing homes for at leas t six months, while those in the other group lived alone in the commun ity and received some kind of assistance from the home service provide rs. The subjects in the latter group were less disabled than those res iding in nursing homes. Age group comparisons among nursing-home resid ents showed no significant differences in the capacity of residents to function in activities of daily living, nor in the case of those livi ng in the community. The nursing staff in the nursing-home setting had a heavier work-load than those working in the community concerning pe rformance of personal activities of daily living. Caring for old peopl e in institutions as well as in the community creates substantial chal lenges for the care personnel.