A study on disability in terms of activities of daily living among elderly in Palam village of west Delhi

ABSTRACT

Background: Aging, an integral part of living, typically is accompanied by gradual but progressive physiological changes and an increased prevalence of acute and chronic illness. Although neither a disease nor disability per se, aging nonetheless is associated with a high incidence of physical impairment as well.The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of activities of daily living (ADL) disability in elderly living in Palam village of Delhi.Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of ADL disability in elderly living in Palam village of Delhi using Barthel ADL index. It uses ten variables describing ADL and mobility. The sample size was estimated to be 350 and systematic random sampling was used to choose the study subjects.Results: The prevalence of ADL disability was found to be 20.3% in the study population. This was found to be 16.3% in males and 23.9% in females.Conclusions: After obtaining adequate data on elderly having difficulty in performing their routine activities of daily living, appropriate steps needs to be taken to mitigate its ill effects which should also address their health care needs and help them to live a healthy and good quality life.