Morbidity, Medication, and Functional Limitations in Very Old Age

Steinhagen‐Thiessen, Elisabeth; Borchelt, Markus

doi:10.1017/cbo9780511586545.006

Cited by 77 publications

(83 citation statements)

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“…SES was measured using a unit-weighted composite of three measures: (a) equivalent income, defined as the net household income weighted by the number of people sharing the household; (b) occupational prestige, based on a standard rating scale for Germany; and (c) number of years of education. Extent of comorbidities was measured as the number of physicianobserved diagnoses (determined in clinical examinations supported by additional blood and saliva laboratory assessments) of moderate to severe chronic illnesses (according to the International Classification of Diseases-9; for details, see Steinhagen-Thiessen & Borchelt, 1999). Disability was recorded as whether or not a participant reported needing assistance in carrying out basic activities of daily living (getting up, getting dressed, going to the toilet, bathing, eating) at any point during the course of the study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and time-to-death trajectories of change in indicators of cognitive, sensory, physical, health, social, and self-related functions.

Gerstorf

Ram

Lindenberger

et al. 2013

Developmental Psychology

113

147

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Mortality-related processes are known to modulate late-life change in cognitive abilities, but it is an open question whether and how precipitous declines with impending death generalize to other domains of functioning. We investigated this notion by using 13-year longitudinal data from now-deceased participants in the Berlin Aging Study (N ϭ 439; 70 -103 years at first occasion; M ϭ 87 years). Using time metrics of chronological age and time-to-death, we compared changes in key indicators of cognitive, sensory, physical, health, social, and self-related domains. Across variables and domains, mortality models revealed steeper average rates of change than age models. However, some domain indicators were more prone to mortality-related change than others. Examining between-person differences, we found that sociodemographic characteristics (surviving to an older age at death, being a woman, lower socioeconomic status) and proxies of pathologies (comorbidities, disability, and suspected dementia) related to lower levels of late-life functioning. In contrast, little evidence was found for correlates of differential change. Our results illustrate both the pervasive nature of progressive processes leading toward death and their domain specificity. Inquiries with more closely spaced multidomain measurements are needed to identify invariant and variable aspects of the end-of-life "cascade."

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Age and time-to-death trajectories of change in indicators of cognitive, sensory, physical, health, social, and self-related functions.

Gerstorf

Ram

Lindenberger

et al. 2013

Developmental Psychology

113

147

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show abstract

“…that it may become increasingly difficult to maintain good subjective health (Steinhagen-Thiessen & Borchelt, 1999). 2.…”

Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Correlates of subjective health in older adults: A meta-analysis.

Pinquart¹

2001

Psychology and Aging

372

288

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Age-associated changes of subjective health and associations of subjective health with physical health, functional health, and mental health were meta-analyzed in older adults (M age > 60 years). An age-associated decline of subjective health, which was stronger in old-old samples than in young-old samples, was found. Subjective health was correlated with the indicators of objective health, but the association with physical health was stronger than with functional health. Correlations of subjective health with physical health and functional health were lower in the old-old than in the young-old samples, whereas associations of subjective health with mental health were stronger in older samples. Furthermore, the size of the association between subjective and objective health varied by the method of assessment of objective health, showing highest associations with symptom checklists and results of medical examinations due to strict protocols.

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“…Mobility is a particularly important functional ability that can be impaired with age [12,13] and encompasses a range of abilities, from simply being able to move one's body, to the extent of one's life-space and driving-space, to the avoidance of negative outcomes such as falls and automobile crashes [12,14,15] . For example, many older drivers reduce their driving in order to avoid potentially dangerous or bothersome driving situations such as driving at night, in the rain or during rush hour [16][17][18] .…”

Section: Everyday Functional Performance and Agingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Balance Balance was measured with the Turn 360 test [13] . Participants were asked to assume a starting position and make 1 complete 360 ° turn.…”

Section: Hearingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensory and Cognitive Factors Influencing Functional Ability in Older Adults

et al. 2005

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Background: Age-related sensory and cognitive impairments have been related to functional performance in older adults. With regard to cognitive abilities, processing speed in particular may be strongly related to older adults’ abilities to perform everyday tasks. Identifying and comparing cognitive correlates of functional performance is particularly important in order to design interventions to promote independence and prevent functional disability. Objective: The present study examined the relative importance of cognitive (specifically, speeded and nonspeeded) and sensory factors in relation to older adults’ functional abilities. Functional abilities included measures of mobility and performance of everyday activities. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed. Five hundred and thirty adults between the ages of 62 and 94 completed measures of sensory, cognitive (including processing speed, attention, memory, intelligence) and functional abilities. Results: Overall, functional performance was most strongly associated with cognitive speed performance, but nonspeeded cognitive and sensory abilities also accounted for significant amounts of variance in functional performance. Age explained a small but statistically significant amount of additional variance in some functional abilities, but no additional variance in self-reported mobility measures. Conclusion: These findings point to the potential impact of multifaceted training programs, targeting both sensory and cognitive abilities for maintaining functional abilities.

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Morbidity, Medication, and Functional Limitations in Very Old Age

Cited by 77 publications

References 0 publications

Age and time-to-death trajectories of change in indicators of cognitive, sensory, physical, health, social, and self-related functions.

Age and time-to-death trajectories of change in indicators of cognitive, sensory, physical, health, social, and self-related functions.

Correlates of subjective health in older adults: A meta-analysis.

Sensory and Cognitive Factors Influencing Functional Ability in Older Adults

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