Low level disability in activities of daily living in elderly people living independently: Risk factors and implications

Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for low level disa bility in activities of daily living in elderly people living independently , and the association with quality of life and accidents. Design: Cross sectional survey of 334 individuals aged greater than or equa l to 80 years randomly selected from the electoral roll. Results: 15.9% of participants had significant disability in at least one o f the activities of daily living assessed. Risk of disability was associate d with taking 4 or more medications, female gender, arthritis and a previou s cerebrovascular event. Those with disabilities had more recent accidents (67.9% vs. 43.8%, p=0.0001) and poorer quality of life as measured by the S F 36. Self reporting was a poor method for identifying disabilities (sensit ivity = 68.5%). Conclusions: Low level disabilities in activities of daily living are commo n in elderly people living independently and are associated with lowered qu ality of life and increased accidents. This highlights the need for a targe ted screening program to identify such disabilities and examine interventio ns to minimise them.