輕中度行動困難老人日常生活失能狀況及相關之身體功能

To explore the 3 most frequently disabled activities of daily living (ADLs) items and to investigate the associated physical performances with each item in older adults with mild to moderate mobility difficulty. These results can be used to guide disability prevention programs for this population. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Older adults eligible for inclusion (aged 65 years or over, de Morton Mobility Index [DEMMI] score of 39-67) from community centers, day care centers, or long-term care facilities from the northern, middle, and southern regions of Taiwan were invited to participate in this study. Participants were excluded if they could not understand and follow commands to perform the required tests. Participants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire and were assessed with the Barthel Index and physical performance tests. Bivariates analysis was done on demographic and health related variables between the able and the disabled groups based on each of the 3 identified ADLs items. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the physical performance tests significantly associated with disability items of ADLs, adjusted for significant covariates. Results: The 3 most frequently disabled ADLs items were stair climbing (54.3%), bathing (40.9%), and ambulation (33.1%). The results of logistic regression analysis showed that older adults who performed worse on the timed up and go test (TUG) (＞ 20 seconds) had a relatively high risk of being disabled in stair climbing and ambulation, whereas those who performed worse on 2-minute steps and tandem stance were associated with bathing disability. Conclusions: The 3 most often disabled ADLs items in older adults with mild to moderate mobility difficulty were stair climbing, bathing, and ambulation. After adjustment for the significant covariates, older adults who performed worse on the TUG (＞ 20 seconds), 2-minute steps, and tandem stance were more likely to be disabled on these 3 ADLs items.