A hierarchical exercise scale to measure function at the Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADL) level.
Standard functional assessment instruments often fail to capture subtle impairment in community-dwelling older persons. To create a scale to measure function at the Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADL) level, we chose three questions to separate a community sample into four levels: frequent vigorous exercisers (8.0%), frequent long walkers (10.8%), frequent short walkers (23.7%), and nonexercisers (57.5%). These levels of exercise formed a hierarchical scale that correlated positively in a graduated manner with progressively advanced social activities of daily living, current health status, and mental health. At 1-year follow-up, 20% of persons declined in exercise level, 63% showed no change in exercise level, and 17% improved their exercise level. Changes in exercise level in both directions were associated with changes in mental health status. The Advanced Activities of Daily Living scale may be a sensitive measure of earlier functional decline, but longer follow-up will be necessary to determine its clinical usefulness.
Reuben
D B
DB
Multicampus Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, UCLA School of Medicine 90024.
Laliberte
L
L
Hiris
J
J
Mor
V
V
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health