Recovery in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs): findings from the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and Ageing Study (MRC CFAS).
OBJECTIVE
to provide evidence for predictors of recovery in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) among disabled older people living in the community.


METHODS
MRC CFAS recruited a sample of 13,004 individuals aged 65 years and above from five communities in the UK. Participants underwent a baseline interview between 1990 and 1994 and were re-assessed 2 years later.


METHODS
the participants who reported that they were unable to perform any IADL without difficulty or help at baseline ('disabled') were included in the analysis.


METHODS
logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for improvement from disabled to non-disabled state at follow-up ('recovery').


RESULTS
at baseline, 50% reported disability of whom 9% reported independent function at follow-up. Women (OR = 0.4) and participants aged > or =75 years (OR = 0.2) were least likely to recover, followed by those with poor self-rated health (OR = 0.5), using at least one medication (OR = 0.6) and having more than or equal to two co-morbidities (OR = 0.6).


CONCLUSIONS
a minority of participants reporting disability at baseline then reported independent function at 2 years. It may be important to focus on those who seem least likely to recover once they have become disabled. Several factors that have been shown to increase the risk of disability were inversely associated with recovery, suggesting that intervention programmes could target these same factors.
Seidel
David
D
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, UK. djs216@cam.ac.uk
Jagger
Carol
C
Brayne
Carol
C
Matthews
Fiona E
FE
Cfas
Mrc
M
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology