title: Self-care and assistance from others in coping with functional status limitations among a national sample of older adults.
abstract: Using data from the first wave of a new longitudinal data set collected in the late fall and winter of 1990-1991, the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging (NSSCA), we examined older adults' self-care practices in coping with functional status limitations based on in-person interviews with a national probability sample of 3,485 noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 or older selected from Medicare beneficiary files. A composite score of functional status was calculated to reflect the presence and severity of disability in three dimensions: basic, mobility, and instrumental activities of daily living. Three types of self-care coping strategies were defined: use of equipment or devices, changes in behavior, and modifications in one's environment. National estimates of self-care practices, assistance from others, and functional status measures were presented. Data revealed that the likelihood of engaging in self-care coping strategies increased as the severity of disability increased, except among the most severely disabled. Generally, those receiving assistance from others were more likely to engage in self-care activities, suggesting that receiving assistance supplements, rather than supplants, self-care coping strategies.
authors.affiliation: Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Department of Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Norburn
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Bernard
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Konrad
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Woomert
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: DeFriese
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Kalsbeek
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ory
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003625:Data Collection; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D006704:Homemaker Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009983:Orthopedic Equipment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012648:Self Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States