Assessment of functional capacity in the elderly

Extract

• Assessment of functional capacity in the elderly is an extensive, multiprofessional task. In addition to physical performance and coping in daily life, cognitive and psychosocial functioning, at least, must be considered and an idea formed about the person’s age-related frailty.
• Many different measuring instruments are used. The choice of the instrument depends on
  • the group of people to which it is applied (elderly people living independently at home with support from home services or residents of assisted living facilities with advanced services)
  • the variables that the instrument is intended to quantify (functional deficits, care needs, results of therapy or rehabilitation, need for preventive measures)
  • the purpose of use of the instrument.
• When functional capacity is still well preserved, emphasis is placed on detection and follow-up of an early memory disorder or functional impairment in the choice of the measuring instrument. When functional capacity is reduced, the significance of being able to handle basic daily routines increases.
• Use of such measuring instruments does not replace normal interviewing and hearing of the person through free conversation. The measuring instruments are there to help with drawing conclusions and making decisions. A physician must interpret how the results are related to any diseases.
• Use of measuring instruments and familiarity with them is useful for screening for functional impairment and diseases or their risk as well as for epidemiological research.
• Notice that the official versions of many instruments are not freely available online. In such cases the links provided below point to sites that provide more information on or display a specific version of the instrument. Find out about local availability of official versions and relevant language versions of the instruments.
• See also local recommendations concerning the use of measuring instruments in various settings.

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