ASSESSMENT OF FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND MOBILITY AMONG SENIOR CITIZENS
AbstractBackground: The population of senior citizens is progressively increasing worldwide due to various factors. As age increases, it causes numerous changes in the functional ability and mobility among senior citizens. Objectives: Assess the level of functional ability and mobility among the senior citizens, correlate the functional ability and mobility among the senior citizens, associate demographic variables with functional ability and mobility. Materials and Methods: The non-experimental research approach of the descriptive design was adopted. The study was conducted at a selected rural community in Bangalore with a sample size of 100. The study participants were selected using a purposive sampling technique of those who fulfill the inclusion criteria. Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and TINETTI Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment tool (POMA) (balance and gait) scales were used to collect the data. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Most of the samples (95%) were independent to perform their ADL. 91.3% of females and 86.5% of males were dependent in terms of instrumental activities of daily living. Distribution of mobility revealed that 81% of samples were in less chance of fall, and only 6% of samples were at high risk of fall. There was a positive correlation between functional ability and mobility. This implied that as ADL and IADL increase mobility also increases among senior citizens. This correlation was statistically significant at level p<.001 and <.01, respectively. There was a significant association of IADL with demographic variables such as the history of illness, vision, hearing acuity at p< .05 and that of age at p<.01 respectively. Conclusion: Nurses are playing a greater role to assess the needs of the senior citizens and provide the prioritized care for a harmonious life.