The perception of meaningfulness and performance of instrumental activities of daily living from the perspectives of the medically at-risk older adults and their caregivers

Anne E. Dickerson, Timothy Reistetter, Jennifer R. Gaudy

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    14 Scopus citations

    Abstract

    The purpose of the study was to understand the impact of chronic disability on the functional ability of older adults. Thirty older adult participants and their caregivers were asked to identify which instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) are most meaningful and how their disability affected performance. Data collected through individual analysis indicated that the most important IADL tasks were driving and managing medication. Both older adult participants and their caregivers similarly perceived the health condition as significantly affecting the performance of all of the IADLs. However, there was a difference in the perception of the prior level of functioning for managing medication (z = 2.45, p =.024) and phone use (z = 2.26, p =.014). Results arrived at, and to be discussed, were in agreement with previous research findings indicating that complex tasks of daily living, particularly driving, are significant to the older adult's quality of life.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)749-764
    Number of pages16
    JournalJournal of Applied Gerontology
    Volume32
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Sep 2013

    Keywords

    • IADL
    • driving
    • older adult

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Gerontology
    • Geriatrics and Gerontology

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