Activities of Daily Living Are Associated With Older Adult Cognitive Status: Caregiver Versus Self-Reports

We examined the magnitude of the caregiver/self-report discrepancy and older adult cognition. In both studies, caregiver reports more accurately accounted for older adult cognitive differences. Older adult visuospatial/constructional deficits were uniquely related to caregiver basic ADL reports. Results indicate that caregiver reports of older adult ADLs are more reliable indicators of older adult cognition than self-reports, and this difference grows as older adult cognition decreases. Thus, older adult ADL assessment may be useful in providing information on potential cognitive decline.

Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - January 11, 2013 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Miller, L. S., Brown, C. L., Mitchell, M. B., Williamson, G. M. Tags: Articles Source Type: research