title: Associations between functional ability and life satisfaction in the oldest old: results from the longitudinal population study Good Aging in Skåne.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe change in functional ability in the oldest-old population during 3 years and examine its relation to life satisfaction (LS). A total of 681 individuals aged 78 and older from the population-based study Good Aging in Skåne took part.
  
  
  METHODS
  Functional ability was assessed using Sonn and Åsberg's Activities of Daily Living (ADL) scale and related to LS assessed by Neugarten et al's Life Satisfaction Index A (LSI-A).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-one percent of 87-93-year-olds reported ADL decline during 3 years. Individuals reporting impaired ADL had a mean LSI-A value of 23.0 compared to 26.4 in those unchanged. ADL decline had a stronger negative effect on LS in the younger group (78-84 years), r = 0.207, P < 0.001. In a multiple regression model, one score's decline in ADL capacity corresponded to 1.5 scores lower LS (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Effort put into keeping the oldest old on a high level of functional ability has the potential to maintain the LS of this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden. asa.enkvist@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Enkvist
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ekström
authors.forename: Sölve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elmståhl
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden