Abstract
Introduction: The relationship between self-reported function and objective measures of physiological function among disabled older women was analyzed to determine the validity of self-reported function, and to identify the hierarchy of self-reported task difficulty most associated with loss of independence as a basis to inform treatment progress goals. Methods: A randomly selected population of older women with moderate to high disability was selected from community-dwelling women 65 to 101 years old from the Women's Health and Aging Study I baseline evaluation (n = 987). Cross-sectional analyses evaluated the association of self-reported function with objective physiological impairment measures. Results: The results indicated that (1) disabled older women self-reported a broad range of physical function levels; (2) self-reported function correlated closely with objective measures of physiological impairments; (3) " preclinical disability," as measured by self-reported modification of task performance in the absence of perceived difficulty, has validity even in a disabled population, and identifies a group intermediate between those who are high functioning in a task and those with difficulty; and (4) there is an apparent gradation in physiological impairment measures with reported loss of functional independence. Conclusion: These findings suggest the validity of self-report functional disability measures and the potential to use these measures to identify already-disabled older adults at risk for further functional degradation and potential targets for intervention.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 645-653 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of the American Medical Directors Association |
Volume | 11 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2010 |
Keywords
- Aging
- Disability
- Impairments
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Nursing
- Health Policy
- Geriatrics and Gerontology