Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Leg Muscle Strength, Cognitive and Visual Function According to Demographic Variables and the Experience of Falling in Community Resident Elderly Koreans / 기본간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To investigate the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), leg muscle strength, cognitive and visual functions according to the participants' demographic characters and experiences of falling in Korean elder who are residents in the community. METHOD: Data were collected from 351 participants aged 65 or more, who were ambulatory. A structured questionnaire and several physical function measurements were used to collect the data which were analyzed using the SAS program. RESULTS: The participants' IADL scores were significantly different according to their age, educational level and living situation. The leg muscle strength of the elders were significantly different according to gender and age, and were also related the risk of falling. Cognitive scores were significantly different according to gender, age, education level and marital status. Visual acuity and depth perception were significantly different according to age, education level, and marital status. CONCLUSION: Demographic variables and experience of falling were identified as variables related to IADL, leg muscle strength, cognitive and visual function of elders. Further study with a larger and nation-wide sample is needed to identify the variables related to the physical and cognitive functions of elders.