Association between mobility, participation, and wheelchair-related factors in long-term care residents who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility.
OBJECTIVE
To explore how wheelchair-related factors, mobility, and participation are associated in a sample of long-term care residents who use wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Eleven residential care facilities in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada.


METHODS
One hundred forty-six self-responding residents and 118 proxy respondents: mean age 84 (range 60-103). Most were female (69%), and a small proportion (9%) drove a power wheelchair.


METHODS
The Nursing Home Life Space Diameter Assessment was used to measure resident mobility, and the Late Life Function and Disability Instrument: Disability Component was used to measure participation frequency in daily activities.


RESULTS
Path analysis indicated that wheelchair-related factors were associated with participation frequency directly and indirectly through their relationship with mobility. The final model explained 46% of the variance in resident mobility and 53% of the variance in resident participation frequency. Wheelchair skills, which include the ability to transfer in and out of and propel a wheelchair, were important predictors of life-space mobility and frequency of participation, and life space mobility was a significant predictor of frequency of participation. Depression was associated with poorer wheelchair skills and mobility and less-frequent participation. Counterintuitively, perceived environmental barriers were positively associated with frequency of participation.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that, by addressing wheelchair-related factors, resident's mobility and participation may be improved, but the efficacy of this approach needs to be confirmed experimentally.
Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. bmortens@interchange.ubc.ca
W Ben
WB
Mortenson
William C
WC
Miller
Catherine L
CL
Backman
John L
JL
Oliffe
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001955:British Columbia; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D014910:Wheelchairs