title: Characteristics of and Barriers to Functional Status Assessment in Assisted Living.
abstract: The most commonly used functional status (FS) instruments were examined to determine the validity, reliability, sensitivity, and specificity to change and feasibility in residents in an assisted living facility (ALF). Twenty-six ALF residents were assessed weekly for up to 8 months using six instruments. Group and single-subject analyses were used to examine associations between instruments and acute events. Two were problematic initially (Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living and hand grip) and were excluded early in the study. Of the remaining instruments, only the Barthel Index and Resident Assessment Instrument had acceptable psychometric profiles. However, these instruments were either not feasible in this environment or did not capture the full range of FS in this population. The current study's findings suggest that instruments commonly used to measure FS may be inadequate for this population and environment. These findings may be used to develop assessment methods for ALF residents that capture both the full range of FS in ALF settings as well as acute and long-term changes in functioning.
authors.forename: Mary Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Meredeth A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hart-Hughes
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results