Use of assistive devices in daily activities among 85-year-olds living at home focusing especially on the visually impaired

Purpose: The purpose was to investigate the use of assistive devices in daily activities and its relation to daily activities. Method: 85-year-old persons (n = 617) were studied in a descriptive, cross-sectional population study. Results: The overall use of assistive devices was 77% in the total population of 85-year-old persons and the results show that persons who have visual impairment use more assistive devices. The most common category of assistive devices in the population was connected with bathing followed by mobility devices. The majority of the assistive device users in all groups were independent in both instrumental (I-ADL) and personal daily activities (P-ADL). There was a statistically significant higher proportion of device users who were independent in daily activities in the normal vision group compared to the visual impairment groups. There was already a significant difference in the use of assistive devices at a visual acuity level of 0.7 - 0.5 compared to participants with normal vision. Conclusion: The results show that it is imperative to provide intervention such as assistive devices in P and I-ADL earlier in the disablement process in order to slow down the progression of decline, as persons with visual impairment are at high risk of developing disability.

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