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Journal ArticleDOI

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living as a Potential Marker of Frailty A Study of 7364 Community-Dwelling Elderly Women (the EPIDOS Study)

TL;DR: The results confirmed that women with disability on at least one IADL item are frailer because they had more associated disorders, poorer cognitive function and more frequent falls.
Abstract: Background. A number of clinical conditions have been shown to be associated with frailty in elderly people. We hypothesized that incapacities on the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) scale could make it possible to identify this population. We investigated the associations between IADL incapacities and the various known correlates of frailty in a cohort of community-dwelling elderly women. Methods. Cross-sectional analysis was carried out on the data from 7364 women aged over 75 years (EPIDOS Study). The IADL was the dependent variable. Sociodemographic, medical, and psychological performance measures were obtained during an assessment visit. Falls in the previous 6 months and fear of falling were also ascertained. Body composition was measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. The factors associated with disability in at least one IADL were included in a logistic regression model. Results. Thirty-two percent of the population studied had disability in at least one IADL item. This group was significantly older (81.7 � 4.1 yr vs 79.8 � 3.4 yr), had more frequent histories of heart disease, stroke, depression or diabetes, and was socially less active ( p � .001). These associations persisted after multivariate analysis. Cognitive impairment as assessed by the Pfeiffer test (Pfeiffer score � 8) was closely associated with disabilities on the IADL (OR 3.101, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.19‐4.38). Falls and fear of falling were also more frequent in the group of women with an abnormal IADL ( p � .001) but only fear of falling remained significantly associated with incapacities on at least one IADL item after logistic regression (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.28‐1.69). Women with disability on at least one IADL item also had lower bone mineral density, this was independent of the other factors. Conclusion. Our results confirmed that women with disability on at least one IADL item are frailer because they had more associated disorders, poorer cognitive function and more frequent falls. Disabilities on this scale could be a good tool for identifying individuals at risk of frailty among elderly persons living at home and in apparent good health. This finding requires confirmation by longitudinal studies.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The use of a powerful fitting method allows to establish a hierarchy between the components of physical frailty and to provide a predictive score with substantial practical value for clinicians and public health professionals.

68 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In an unselected population of hip-fractured older adults previously living in the community, HBR seems to be a feasible alternative to IBR in those subjects living with relatives.

67 citations

01 Mar 2010
TL;DR: This review summarizes the recent literature on the nutritional pathways to frailty with particular focus on the effect of energy, protein and micronutrients.
Abstract: Frailty and malnutrition are both highly prevalent in the older population and have therefore become principle topics in geriatric research. Frailty is of multifactorial origin and is regarded as a fundamental risk factor for deteriorating health status and disability in older people. It is estimated that prevalence rates for frailty and pre-frailty reach as high as 27% and 51%, respectively. The role of nutritional deficiency in the development of frailty was suggested long ago, however research conducted in this area is relatively recent. The critical role of micronutrients in this context suggests the need to improve the quality of food eaten by older people – not just the quantity. This review summarizes the recent literature on the nutritional pathways to frailty with particular focus on the effect of energy, protein and micronutrients.

67 citations


Cites background from "Instrumental Activities of Daily Li..."

  • ...Socio-economic factors (2, 84, 86, 88, 89) Lack of social involvement (relatives, friends, church, organizations)....

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  • ...Age (2, 22, 81, 82, 84) Prevalence of frailty increases with age...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Walking speed, memory, and processing speed may be independent predictors of IADL limitation in older adults.
Abstract: Our aim was to determine whether baseline measures of cognitive functioning, walking speed, and depressive status are independent predictors of limitations in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in older adults. The cross-sectional study involved 1329 community-dwelling adults, aged 75 years or older. At baseline, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Symbol Digit Substitution Test (SDST), Geriatric Depressive Scale (GDS), and a word list memory task were completed, and self-reported IADLs and walking speed were recorded. The longitudinal study involved 948 participants without baseline IADL limitation, which was assessed at baseline and 15-month follow up, using the three Kihon Checklist subitems. In cross-sectional analyses, participants with IADL limitation demonstrated greater GDS scores, slower walking speeds, and lower MMSE, word list memory task, and SDST (only for women) scores relative to those without IADL limitation. In the longitudinal analyses, baseline walking speed (men: OR 0.98; women: OR 0.97, p < 0.05) and word list memory task scores (men: OR 0.84; women: OR 0.83, p < 0.05) in both sexes and SDST scores in women (OR 0.96, p = 0.04) were independent predictors of subsequent IADL limitation. Walking speed, memory, and processing speed may be independent predictors of IADL limitation in older adults.

64 citations


Cites background from "Instrumental Activities of Daily Li..."

  • ..., histories of heart disease, stroke, depression, or diabetes), poorer cognitive function, and frequent falls [5]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The payoff time framework may identify patients for whom particular clinical guidelines are unlikely to confer benefit, and has the potential to decrease unnecessary health care.
Abstract: Background Practice guidelines rarely consider comorbid illness, and resulting overuse of health services may increase costs without conferring benefit.

62 citations


Cites background from "Instrumental Activities of Daily Li..."

  • ...Measurements of frailty usually include signs of decreased functional reserve such as slowness, weakness, exhaustion, and wasting(10); or consequences such as falls, disability, and institutionalization.(12,13) The prognostic model of Lee et al evaluated a large number of frailty items for predictive value, including difficulties with activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living, and the final model includes a substantial proportion of items that may arise from frailty (wasting, difficulty bathing, difficulty managing money, difficulty walking several blocks, and difficulty pulling or pushing large objects)....

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two scales first standardized on their own population are presented, one of which taps a level of functioning heretofore inadequately represented in attempts to assess everyday functional competence, and the other taps a schema of competence into which these behaviors fit.
Abstract: THE use of formal devices for assessing function is becoming standard in agencies serving the elderly. In the Gerontological Society's recent contract study on functional assessment (Howell, 1968), a large assortment of rating scales, checklists, and other techniques in use in applied settings was easily assembled. The present state of the trade seems to be one in which each investigator or practitioner feels an inner compusion to make his own scale and to cry that other existent scales cannot possibly fit his own setting. The authors join this company in presenting two scales first standardized on their own population (Lawton, 1969). They take some comfort, however, in the fact that one scale, the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale (PSMS), is largely a scale developed and used by other investigators (Lowenthal, 1964), which was adapted for use in our own institution. The second of the scales, the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), taps a level of functioning heretofore inadequately represented in attempts to assess everyday functional competence. Both of the scales have been tested further for their usefulness in a variety of types of institutions and other facilities serving community-resident older people. Before describing in detail the behavior measured by these two scales, we shall briefly describe the schema of competence into which these behaviors fit (Lawton, 1969). Human behavior is viewed as varying in the degree of complexity required for functioning in a variety of tasks. The lowest level is called life maintenance, followed by the successively more complex levels of func-

14,832 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Eric Pfeiffer1
TL;DR: A 10‐item Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), easily administered by any clinician in the office or in a hospital, has been designed, tested, standardized and validated.
Abstract: Clinicians whose practice includes elderly patients need a short, reliable instrument to detect the presence of intellectual impairment and to determine the degree. A 10-item Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), easily administered by any clinician in the office or in a hospital, has been designed, tested, standardized and validated. The standardization and validation procedure included administering the test to 997 elderly persons residing in the community, to 141 elderly persons referred for psychiatric and other health and social problems to a multipurpose clinic, and to 102 elderly persons living in institutions such as nursing homes, homes for the aged, or state mental hospitals. It was found that educational level and race had to be taken into account in scoring individual performance. On the basis of the large community population, standards of performance were established for: 1) intact mental functioning, 2) borderline or mild organic impairment, 3) definite but moderate organic impairment, and 4) severe organic impairment. In the 141 clinic patients, the SPMSQ scores were correlated with the clinical diagnoses. There was a high level of agreement between the clinical diagnosis of organic brain syndrome and the SPMSQ scores that indicated moderate or severe organic impairment.

4,897 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Among nondisabled older persons living in the community, objective measures of lower-extremity function were highly predictive of subsequent disability.
Abstract: Background Functional assessment is an important part of the evaluation of elderly persons. We conducted this study to determine whether objective measures of physical function can predict subsequent disability in older persons. Methods This prospective cohort study included men and women 71 years of age or older who were living in the community, who reported no disability in the activities of daily living, and who reported that they were able to walk one-half mile (0.8 km) and climb stairs without assistance. The subjects completed a short battery of physical-performance tests and participated in a follow-up interview four years later. The tests included an assessment of standing balance, a timed 8-ft (2.4-m) walk at a normal pace, and a timed test of five repetitions of rising from a chair and sitting down. Results Among the 1122 subjects who were not disabled at base line and who participated in the four-year follow-up, lower scores on the base-line performance tests were associated with a statisticall...

3,388 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
10 Jul 1987-Science
TL;DR: Research on the risks associated with usual aging and strategies to modify them should help elucidate how a transition from usual to successful aging can be facilitated.
Abstract: Research in aging has emphasized average age-related losses and neglected the substantial heterogeneity of older persons. The effects of the aging process itself have been exaggerated, and the modifying effects of diet, exercise, personal habits, and psychosocial factors underestimated. Within the category of normal aging, a distinction can be made between usual aging, in which extrinsic factors heighten the effects of aging alone, and successful aging, in which extrinsic factors play a neutral or positive role. Research on the risks associated with usual aging and strategies to modify them should help elucidate how a transition from usual to successful aging can be facilitated.

2,809 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Among older people living in the community falls are a strong predictor of placement in a skilled-nursing facility; interventions that prevent falls and their sequelae may therefore delay or reduce the frequency of nursing home admissions.
Abstract: Background Falls warrant investigation as a risk factor for nursing home admission because falls are common and are associated with functional disability and because they may be preventable. Methods We conducted a prospective study of a probability sample of 1103 people over 71 years of age who were living in the community. Data on demographic and medical characteristics, use of health care, and cognitive, functional, psychological, and social functioning were obtained at base line and one year later during assessments in the participants' homes. The primary outcome studied was the number of days from the initial assessment to a first long-term admission to a skilled-nursing facility during three years of follow-up. Patients were assigned to four categories during follow-up: those who had no falls, those who had one fall without serious injury, those who had two or more falls without serious injury, and those who had at least one fall causing serious injury. Results A total of 133 participants (12.1 perce...

1,337 citations