title: Successful Aging Through Successful Accommodation With Assistive Devices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide a profile of older adults who successfully accommodate declines in capacity by using assistive devices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study, we provide national estimates of prevalent, incident, and persistent successful accommodation of mobility and self-care activity limitations. For incident and persistent accommodation groups, we describe their subjective wellbeing and participation restrictions, health and functioning, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and acquisition of assistive devices and environmental features. We estimate regression models predicting incident and persistent successful accommodation and the extent of wellbeing and participation restrictions for incident and persistent groups (vs. those who are fully able).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nearly one-quarter of older adults have put in place accommodations that allow them to carry out daily activities with no assistance or difficulty. In adjusted models, incident and persistent successful accommodation is more common for those ages 80-89, those with more children, and those living in homes with environmental features already installed; wellbeing levels for these groups are similar and participation restrictions only slightly below those who are fully able.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A focus on facilitating successful accommodation among those who experience declines in capacity may be an effective means of promoting participation and wellbeing in later life.
authors: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
authors: Vicki A
authors: VA
authors: Freedman
authors: Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors: Judith D
authors: JD
authors: Kasper
authors: Health Policy Center, Urban Institute, Washington, DC.
authors: Brenda C
authors: BC
authors: Spillman
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D006278:Medicare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States
keywords: Disability; Population aging; Successful aging