Dissertation
Everyday functioning in cognitively intact elderly: Base rate of IADL functioning and comparison to healthy younger adults
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
08/2010
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006122
Abstract
In an effort to establish a base-rate of everyday functional ability in cognitively intact elderly, this study examined IADL dependency via self-report and a performance-based task, examined the influence of rater characteristics (age, depression, overall health), and compared older adults' performance to that of younger adults. Seventy non-demented elderly adults and 43 young adults completed questionnaires pertaining to daily functioning, overall health, and depression, as well as underwent a neuropsychological evaluation that included one performance-based measure of daily functioning. The findings revealed low rates of self-reported dependency amongst older adults, with the exception of handyman work. Self reported IADL was found to be predicted by overall health. On the performance-based measures the older adults unexpectedly performed better than the younger adults, highlighting the importance of accounting for education when assessing IADLs. Given the generally low rates of dependency and strong performance by older adults, these findings did not suggest a detrimental effect of the aging process on functional ability. This study adds to the literature on functional ability by demonstrating that characteristics of the rater differentially affect IADL data depending on the method of assessment. More specifically, self-reported IADLs may be more dependent upon health factors while performance on an objective measure was predicted by age and education.
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Details
- Title
- Everyday functioning in cognitively intact elderly
- Creators
- Alicia D. Rueda
- Contributors
- Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe (Chair)Lisa Fournier (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of PsychologyBrett Parmenter (Committee Member)Douglas Lane (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Psychology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 50
- Identifiers
- 99901055125901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation