Dependence Level in Basic and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living in Older Adults

Abstract

During the life cycle of human beings, various evolutionary processes take place in a constant and irreversible way, aging is characterized by a progressive loss of functionality and adaptability; this process involves functional changes and a greater degree of dependence, gradually affecting their health and performance of daily activities, leaving a negative impact in the lives of older people. Objective: Evaluate the dependence level in basic and instrumental activities of daily living in older adults. Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach and simple random sampling, the sample size consisted of 84 older adults, residents of Tepic Nayarit. Mexico. The Katz Index instruments were used to assess the functional dependence of the basic activities of daily living and the Lawton-Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scale to measure the level of independence in the instrumental activities of daily living. Results: The mean age of older adults was 74.58 ± 12.4 years. In regards to gender, 58% were female and 42% were male. The dependency classification according to the Katz index for basic activities of daily living determined that 50% had a significant prevalence of mild disability, 35.72% had moderate disability and 14.28% had severe disability. The Lawton-Brody (IADL) scale contributed evaluating the dependence level in instrumental activities of daily living, the results showed that 17% of older adults were independent, 21% had mild dependence, 25% had moderate dependence, 29% had severe dependence, and 5.9% had total dependence. Conclusions: The level of dependence is related to the health and age of persons and they are a constraint to be self-sufficient in managing the care they require daily, therefore, it is important to carry out interventions to promote independence and functionality in older adults.