Incidence of the onset of disability and recovery of functional autonomy among the very old after one year

Background: This article measures the survival rate and explores the change s in functional autonomy among both men and women over a one-year period in a sample of 272 subjects aged 80-85. Methods: Data were taken from the Quebec Longitudinal Study on Aging, a mul ti-cohort prospective study focusing on health and quality of life. The sam ple comprises two sub-groups, namely disabled and autonomous subjects. Elig ible participants were selected from the Quebec Health Insurance Plan (QHIP ) file. However, to obtain the required number of participants, the sample was completed from eligible subjects who volunteered in response to TCC, bi llboard and newspaper advertising about the project. The Functional Autonom y Measurement System (SMAF) was used to assess disability. The SMAF assesse s functional disability in 5 domains: activities of daily living (ADL), mob ility, instrumental activities (IADL), communication, and mental functionin g. Results: After one year, nearly 5% of the subjects had died and 72.5% were still autonomous, i.e., they had a score under 4.5 on the SMAF. The annual incidence of the onset of disability (including death, lengthy hospitalizat ion, functional incapacities and cognitive deficits) was 20%. However, no d ifference was found between the sexes in regard to the risk of losing auton omy. The main areas where disability occurred among the previously autonomo us subjects were, in order of importance, domestic tasks, mobility and comm unication. The study confirmed that it is possible to recover autonomy, eve n at this advanced age, particularly for women (11.2%), but less so for men (3.6%). Conclusion: This phenomenon of recovering functional autonomy suggests that octogenarians have a residual potential and confirms the effectiveness of preventive and curative measures and the benefits of interventions by commu nity and family networks.