Abstract
ABSTRACTThe ability to perform instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) is an important marker within the aging process, as it reflects the level of independence to perform in the real world. However, there is a scarcity of studies that investigate the different performance profiles among older adults.Objective:To investigate the heterogeneity present in the community of elderly people, grouping them based on characteristics and patterns observed through an objective performance-based assessment.Methods:Participants were selected according to the following inclusion criteria: fluency in Portuguese, 360 years, regular participation in a social program offered by the government of Rio de Janeiro, and absence of a caregiver. The evaluation of IADLs was determined by the total and brief version of the University of California, San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA) and the Lawton and Brody IADL scale. The Brief Cognitive Screening Battery and the Mini-Mental State Examination were used to characterize the sample, in addition to the Geriatric Depression Scale. A total of 61 elderly people with an average age of 72.5 years, predominantly females (85.2%), and average education of 11.2 were evaluated and grouped according to their performance at UPSA through clustering analysis.Results:The analysis revealed three grouping patterns, subdividing the sample into subgroups that differed significantly in terms of age, education, global cognition, and all instrumental activities assessed by UPSA — planning, finance, communication, transportation, and household chores.Conclusions:This study was able to identify the heterogeneity present between the elderly people in the different factors that compose the IADLs through a performance-based assessment.
Highlights
Factors such as reduced mortality rate and increased life expectancy in the elderly people triggered a new worldwide epidemiological configuration in which the elderly people are estimated as 900 million individuals.[1]
Its measurement is done by employing instruments that assess the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)4,5 — functioning as a reference to determine the independence of individuals or need for care
An objective way of assessing functional capacity (FC) is through performance-based measures such as the University of California, San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA), which require the performance of tasks in the presence of the examiner.[6,7]
Summary
Factors such as reduced mortality rate and increased life expectancy in the elderly people triggered a new worldwide epidemiological configuration in which the elderly people are estimated as 900 million individuals.[1]. Constructs related to functionality function are especially relevant markers in aging and are increasingly explored since they are a relevant health indicator for the elderly people,[2] given its impact on the quality of life and the consequences they bring to health systems and policies.[3]. Among the aspects that permeate the spectrum of functionality, functional capacity (FC) can be defined as the aptitude and capacity that a given individual has to act in their daily lives independently. Its measurement is done by employing instruments that assess the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)4,5 — functioning as a reference to determine the independence of individuals or need for care. An objective way of assessing FC is through performance-based measures such as the University of California, San Diego Performance-Based Skills Assessment (UPSA), which require the performance of tasks in the presence of the examiner.[6,7]
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