Physical Function abstracts and tables:
| Click on the Title to view abstract: |
| 1. ADL Assessment Measures For Use With Frail Elders |
| 2. Self-Assessments Of Health And Functional Capacity Among Older Adults. Associated table. |
Journal of
Mental Health and Aging, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1997
ADL Assessment
Measures For Use With Frail Elders
Shirley A.
Morris
ADL status has been used within the rehabilitative and long-term-care arenas as a synonym for physical function or performance. This article focuses on ADL elements to assess, how these elements can be measured, and how performance levels on these measures are distributed within the nursing home population. Major ADL performance and informant-based measures, as well as measures based upon task segmentation are described. Design issues relevant to ADL coding systems and the reliability and validity of these measures are discussed.
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Journal of Mental Health and Aging, Vol. 7, No. 1,
2001
Self-Assessments Of
Health And Functional Capacity Among Older Adults
Ronald J. Angel, PhD
Michelle L. Frisco, PhD
Abstract:
This article reviews the meaning and validity of the most commonly used self-reported measures of general health and functional capacity used in survey research involving the elderly, and it compares two different ways of measuring functional capacity: self-reported functional ability and performance-based measures. The literature supports the general validity of self reported general health, but it also reveals, at best, low to moderate correspondence between self assessed and performance-based measures of functional capacity, suggesting that self-reports and performance assessments each tap different domains of functioning. The research reviewed here provides evidence that self-assessments of global health levels and specific functional capacities are generally valid but that, like all self-reports, they are influenced by other factors including those related to culture and language that cannot be ignored. We conclude by affirming the utility of self-reports, but caution against assuming that their measurement properties are similar across culturally and socially distinct groups.
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