Abstract
Background
Formal functional assessment tools for use with older adults have been in widespread
use since the 1960s. Instruments have been designed to assess a wide range of different
aspects of a person's everyday life. This article seeks to document the evolution
of the tools used in such a way as to inform the development of the field.
Study Design and Setting
The Medline, CINHAL, and Science Direct databases were searched for relevant literature
relating to the functional assessment of older adults. After analysis of initial results,
a second-stage search was conducted to find literature relating to the use and validation
of instruments found initially.
Results
Four categories of functional assessment instruments were identified for the purposes
of this article: basic activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental ADL, global
health scales, and performance-based tests of functional ability. These categories
and several of the most widely used tools therein are discussed chronologically to
document the evolution of the field.
Conclusions
With the advancement of technology has come the possibility to perform functional
assessments in new ways. This outline of the evolution of functional assessment should
be of considerable use as researchers seek to design new functional assessments for
older adults.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: February 18, 2013
Accepted:
December 4,
2012
Footnotes
Conflict of interest: None.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
