scholarly journals Population-based screening for functional disability in older adults

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire K Ankuda ◽  
Vicki A Freedman ◽  
Kenneth E Covinsky ◽  
Amy S Kelley

Abstract Background and Objectives Screening for functional disability is a promising strategy to identify high-need older adults. We compare two disability measures, activities of daily living (ADLs) and life space constriction (LSC), in predicting hospitalization and mortality in older adults. Research Design and Methods We used the nationally-representative National Health and Aging Trends Study of 30,885 observations of adults ≥65 years old. Outcomes were 1-year mortality and hospitalization. Predictors were ADLs (receiving help with bathing, eating, dressing, toileting, getting out of bed, walking inside) and LSC (frequency of leaving home). Results Of respondents, 12.4% reported 3+ ADLs and 10.8% reported rarely/never leaving home. ADL disability and LSC predicted high rates of 1-year mortality and hospitalization: of those with 3+ ADLs, 46.4% died and 41.0% were hospitalized; of those who never/rarely left home, 40.7% died and 37.0% were hospitalized. Of those with both 3+ ADLs and who never/rarely left home, 58.4% died. ADL and LSC disability combined was more predictive of 1-year mortality and hospitalization than either measure alone. ADL disability and LSC screens identified overlapping but distinct populations. LSC identified more women (72.6% vs. 63.8% with ADL disability), more people who live alone (40.7% vs. 30.7%), fewer who were white (71.7% vs. 76.2%) with cancer (27.6% vs. 32.4), and reported pain (67.1% vs. 70.0%). Discussion and Implications LSC and ADLs both independently predicted mortality and hospitalization but using both screens was most predictive. Routine screening for ADLs and LSC could help health systems identify those at high risk for mortality and health care use.

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoling Xiang ◽  
Jieling Chen ◽  
MinHee Kim

Abstract Background and Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the trajectories of homebound status in older adults and to investigate the risk factors in shaping the pattern of these trajectories. Research Design and Methods The study sample was a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 and older (N = 7,607) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (Round 1–Round 7). Homebound state was defined as never or rarely went out the home in the last month. Homebound trajectories were identified using an enhanced group-based trajectory modeling that accounted for nonrandom attrition. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine risk factors of homebound trajectories. Results Three trajectory groups were identified: the “never” group (65.5%) remained nonhomebound; the “chronic” group were largely persistently homebound (8.3%); and the “onset” group (26.2%) had a rapid increase in their risk of being homebound over the 7-year period. The following factors increased the relative risk for being on the “onset” and “chronic” versus the “never” trajectory: older age, Hispanic ethnicity, social isolation, past or current smoking, instrumental activities of daily living limitations, probable dementia, and use of a walker or wheelchair. Male sex and living alone were associated with a lower risk of being on the “chronic” trajectory, whereas depression and anxiety symptoms, chronic conditions, and activities of daily living limitations increased the risk. Discussion and Implications The progression of homebound status among community-dwelling older adults followed three distinct trajectories over a 7-year period. Addressing social isolation and other risk factors may prevent or delay the progression to homebound state.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatima Nari ◽  
Bich Na Jang ◽  
Hin Moi Youn ◽  
Wonjeong Jeong ◽  
Sung-In Jang ◽  
...  

AbstractFrailty is considered a multidimensional geriatric syndrome, manifested by the accumulation of age-associated deficits. The consequences of frailty transitions are still understudied. This study evaluated the influence of frailty transitions on cognitive function in the older adult population. We used data derived from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) (2008–2018) on older adults aged ≥ 65 years. Frailty was assessed using a validated Korean frailty measure known as the frailty instrument (FI), and cognitive function was measured using the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE). Transitions in frailty and their relationship with cognitive function were investigated using lagged generalized estimating equations (GEE), t-tests, and ANOVA. Respondents who experienced frailty transitions (those with ameliorating frailty), those who developed frailty, and whose frailty remained constant, were more likely to have a lower cognitive function than those who were consistently non-frail. Older age, activities of daily living (ADL) disability, and instrumental ADL disability were more negatively associated with declining cognitive function, especially in the “frail → frail” group. Changes in all individual components of the frailty instrument were significantly associated with impaired cognitive function. The results suggest an association between frailty transitions and cognitive impairment. Over a 2-year span, the remaining frail individuals had the highest rate of cognitive decline in men, while the change from non-frail to frail state in women was significantly associated with the lowest cognitive function values. We recommend early interventions and prevention strategies in older adults to help ameliorate or slow down both frailty and cognitive function decline.


Author(s):  
Yee Mang Chan ◽  
Norhafizah Sahril ◽  
Ying Ying Chan ◽  
Nor’ Ain Ab Wahab ◽  
Norliza Shamsuddin ◽  
...  

Vision and hearing impairments are common among older adults and can cause undesirable health effects. There are limited studies from low- and middle-income countries exploring gender differences between vision and hearing impairment with Activities of Daily Living (ADL) disability. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate gender differences between vision and hearing impairments with ADL disability among older adults in Malaysia. Cross-sectional data from 3977 respondents aged 60 and above from the Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey 2018 were used. We used logistic regression analysis to measure associations between vision and hearing impairments with ADL disability, adjusted for covariates. The prevalence of ADL disability was higher among females than males (p < 0.001). The adjusted associations between vision impairment and ADL disability were significant among males (aOR 3.79; 95%CI 2.26, 6.38) and females (aOR 2.66; 95%CI 1.36, 5.21). Similarly, significant adjusted associations were found between hearing impairment and ADL disability among males (aOR 5.76; 95%CI 3.52, 9.40) and females (aOR 3.30; 95%CI 1.17, 9.33). Vision and hearing impairments were significantly associated with ADL disability, with no gender differences identified. Early detection and effective management of vision and hearing impairments are important to prevent ADL disability and improve older adults’ level of independence.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 711-712
Author(s):  
Katherine Ornstein ◽  
Jennifer Reckrey ◽  
Evan Bollens-Lund ◽  
Katelyn Ferreira ◽  
Mohammed Husain ◽  
...  

Abstract A large and growing population of older adults with multimorbidity, cognitive impairment, and functional disability live in the community but are homebound (never/rarely leave home). While homebound status is associated with decreased access to medical services and poor health outcomes, it is unclear how long individuals remain homebound. We used the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative sample of Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and over, with survey weighting to assess duration of homebound status in the community. Among the incident homebound in 2016 (n=253) , only 28% remained homebound after 1 year. 21% died, 18% were recovered, and one-third left the home but still reported difficulty. As the locus of long-term care shifts from nursing homes to the community and models of care expand to serve the needs of the homebound, it is critical that we better understand the heterogeneity and transitions of the homebound population.


Author(s):  
James S Andrews ◽  
Laura S Gold ◽  
May J Reed ◽  
Jose M Garcia ◽  
Robyn L McClelland ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Half of all physical disability, including activity of daily living (ADL) disability, among older adults occurs in the setting of hospitalization. This study examines whether appendicular lean mass (ALM) and grip strength, which are commonly included in various definitions of sarcopenia, are associated with development of hospital-associated ADL disability in older adults in the Health ABC Study. Methods Individuals hospitalized during the first 5 years of follow-up (n=1,724) were analyzed. ALM to body mass index (BMI) ratio (ALMBMI), by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), and grip strength, by hand-held dynamometery, were assessed annually. Development of new ADL disability was assessed at the time of the next annual assessment after hospitalization. Separate regression analyses modeled the association of pre-hospitalization ALMBMI or grip strength with death before the next scheduled annual assessment. Next, among those who survived to the next annual assessment, separate regression analyses modeled the association of ALMBMI or grip strength with development of ADL disability. Results Each standard deviation decrement in pre-hospitalization grip strength was associated with an adjusted 1.80 odds of new ADL disability at follow-up (95% CI: 1.18, 2.74). Low, compared to not low, grip strength (per FNIH definition) was associated with an adjusted 2.36 odds of ADL disability at follow-up (95% CI: 1.12, 4.97). ALM measures were not associated with development of hospital-associated ADL disability. ALM and grip strength measures were not associated with death. Conclusions Pre-hospitalization lower grip strength may be an important risk factor for ADL disability among older adult survivors of hospitalization.


Author(s):  
Robyn L Woods ◽  
Sara Espinoza ◽  
Le T P Thao ◽  
Michael E Ernst ◽  
Joanne Ryan ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Cerebrovascular events, dementia and cancer can contribute to physical disability with activities of daily living (ADL). It is unclear whether low-dose aspirin reduces this burden in aging populations. In a secondary analysis, we now examine aspirin’s effects on incident and persistent ADL disability within a primary prevention aspirin trial in community-dwelling older adults. Methods The ASPREE (ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly) trial of daily 100mg aspirin versus placebo recruited 19,114 healthy adults aged 70+ years (65+ years if U.S. minority) in Australia and the U.S. Six basic ADLs were assessed every six months. Incident ADL disability was defined as inability or severe difficulty with ≥1 ADL; persistence was confirmed if the same ADL disability remained after six months. Proportional hazards modelling compared time to incident or persistent ADL disability for aspirin versus placebo; death without prior disability was a competing risk. Results Over a median 4.7 years, incident ADL disability was similar in those receiving aspirin (776/9525) and placebo (787/9589) with walking, bathing, dressing and transferring the most commonly reported. Only 24% of incident ADL disability progressed to persistent. Persistent ADL disability was lower in the aspirin group (4.3 versus 5.3 events/1000py; HR=0.81, 95% CI:0.66-1.00), with bathing and dressing the most common ADL disabilities in both groups. Following persistent ADL disability there were more deaths in the aspirin group (24 versus 12). Discussion Low-dose aspirin in initially healthy older people did not reduce risk of incident ADL disability, although there was evidence of reduced persistent ADL disability.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ratna Patel ◽  
Shobhit Srivast ◽  
Pradeep Kumar ◽  
SHEKHAR CHAUHAN ◽  
Mani Deep Govindu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Studies have examined functional disability among older adults by combining Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). This study adds another dimension to ADL and IADL by combining various impairments such as hearing, vision, walking, chewing, speaking, and memory loss among older adults. This study examines functional disability among older adults in India as measured by ADL, IADL, along with various impairments. Methods This study utilized data from Building a Knowledge Base on Population Aging in India (BKPAI), a national-level survey and conducted across seven states of India. The study utilized three outcome variables, namely, ADL, IADL, and Impairments. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were used along with multivariate analysis to fulfill the objectives of the study. The concentration index was calculated for ADL, IADL, and impairments, and further, decomposition analysis was carried out for IADL. Results The results observed that nearly 7.5 percent of older adults reported ADL, more than half (56.8%) reported IADL, and nearly three-fourths (72.6%) reported impairments. Overall, ADL, IADL, and impairments were higher among older adults aged 80 + years, older adults with poor self-rated health, and those suffering from chronic diseases. Educational status and wealth explained most of the socio-economic inequality in the prevalence of IADL among older adults. Conclusion It is recommended that the government advise older adults to adopt health-promoting approaches, which may be useful. Further, there is a pressing need to deliver quality care to older adults suffering from chronic conditions.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongpeng Liu ◽  
Jing Jiao ◽  
Chen Zhu ◽  
Minglei Zhu ◽  
Xianxiu Wen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Older adults are vulnerable to a decline in physical functioning, including basic activities of daily living (ADL) and higher-level instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The causes of functional disability in older adults are multifactorial. A comprehensive understanding of these factors will contribute toward future health service planning. However, studies of ADL and IADL in Chinese older adults are insufficient. The aim of this study is to describe the level of ADL and IADL in different age groups and explore the factors associated with functional disability in Chinese older inpatients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisted of 9,996 Chinese older inpatients aged 65 years and older. Participants were recruited from six provinces or municipality city in southwest (Sichuan province), northeast (Heilongjiang), south central (Hubei province), northern (Beijing municipality city), northwest (Qinghai province), and eastern China (Zhejiang province) from October 2018 to February 2019. The levels of ADL and IADL were measured by scores of the Barthel index and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale in consecutive intervals from 65 years of age. After controlling for the cluster effect of hospital wards, a mixed-effect generalized linear model was used to examine the association between functional disability and covariates. Results: The average ADL score was 27.68±4.59 and the mean IADL score 6.76±2.01 for all participants. A negative correlation between scores and age was observed, and there was a significant difference in ADL and IADL scores among different age groups. The top negatively influential factor in ADL and IADL was stair climbing and shopping, respectively. After controlling for the cluster effect of hospital wards, aging, emaciation, frailty, depression, falling accidents in past 12 months, hearing dysfunction, cognitive dysfunction, urinary dysfunction, and defecation dysfunction were associated with ADL and IADL. Patients transitioned from the emergency department and other hospitals were also affected by ADL disability. Former smoking was associated with lower IADL scores. Higher level of education, living in a building without elevators, and current alcohol consumption were correlated with better IADL performance. Conclusion: Decreased functional ability was associated with the increasing age. Sociodemographic characteristics (such as age), physical health variables (frailty, emaciation, hearing dysfunction, urinary dysfunction, defecation dysfunction, falling accidents in past 12 months), and mental health variables (cognitive dysfunction, depression) were associated with functional disability. These findings potentially have major importance for the planning of hospital services, discharge planning, and post-discharge care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigel Teo ◽  
Pei Shi Yeo ◽  
Qi Gao ◽  
Ma Shwe Zin Nyunt ◽  
Jie Jing Foo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Few empirical studies support a bio-psycho-social conceptualization of frailty. In addition to physical frailty (PF), we explored mental (MF) and social (SF) frailty and studied the associations between multidimensional frailty and various adverse health outcomes. Methods Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses were conducted using data from a population-based cohort (SLAS-1) of 2387 community-dwelling Singaporean Chinese older adults. Outcomes examined were functional and severe disability, nursing home referral and mortality. PF was defined by shrinking, weakness, slowness, exhaustion and physical inactivity, 1–2 = pre-frail, 3–5 = frail; MF was defined by ≥1 of cognitive impairment, low mood and poor self-reported health; SF was defined by ≥2 of living alone, no education, no confidant, infrequent social contact or help, infrequent social activities, financial difficulty and living in low-end public housing. Results The prevalence of any frailty dimension was 63.0%, dominated by PF (26.2%) and multidimensional frailty (24.2%); 7.0% had all three frailty dimensions. With a few exceptions, frailty dimensions share similar associations with many socio-demographic, lifestyle, health and behavioral factors. Each frailty dimension varied in showing independent associations with functional (Odds Ratios [ORs] = 1.3–1.8) and severe disability prevalence at baseline (ORs = 2.2–7.3), incident functional disability (ORs = 1.1–1.5), nursing home referral (ORs = 1.5–3.4) and mortality (Hazard Ratios = 1.3–1.5) after adjusting for age, gender, medical comorbidity and the two other frailty dimensions. The addition of MF and SF to PF incrementally increased risk estimates by more than 2 folds. Conclusions This study highlights the relevance and utility of PF, MF and SF individually and together. Multidimensional frailty can better inform policies and promote the use of targeted multi-domain interventions tailored to older adults’ frailty statuses.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S837-S837
Author(s):  
Cynthia Chen

Abstract Singapore is one of the fastest-aging populations due to increased life expectancy and lowered fertility. Lifestyle changes increase the burden of chronic diseases and disability. These have important implications for social protection systems. The goal of this paper is to model future functional disability and healthcare expenditures based on current trends. To project the health, disability and hospitalization spending of future elders, we adapted the Future Elderly Model (FEM) to Singapore. The FEM is a dynamic Markov microsimulation model developed in the US. Our main source of population data was the Singapore Chinese Health Study (SCHS) consisting of 63,000 respondents followed up over three waves from 1993 to 2010. The FEM model enables us to investigate the effects of disability compounded over the lifecycle and hospitalization spending, while adjusting for competing risk of multi-comorbidities. Results indicate that by 2050, 1 in 6 older adults will have at least one ADL disability and 1 in 3 older adults will have at least one IADL disability, an increase from 1 in 12 elders and 1 in 5 elders respectively in 2014. The highest prevalence of functional disability will be in those aged 85 years and above. Lifetime hospitalization spending of elders aged 55 and above is US$24,400 (30.2%) higher among people with functional disability compared to those without disability. Policies that successfully tackle diabetes and promote healthy living may reduce or delay the onset of disability, leading to potential saving. In addition, further technological improvements may reduce the financial burden of disability.


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