Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (19)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by KEMPEN, G. I. J. M.
Right arrow Articles by ORMEL, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by KEMPEN, G. I. J. M.
Right arrow Articles by ORMEL, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 1998 Oxford University Press

other

The impact of multiple impairments on disability in community-dwelling older people

GERTRUDIS I. J. M. KEMPEN, LOIS M. VERBRUGGE1, SUSAN S. MERRILL2 and JOHAN ORMEL3

Northern Centre for Healthcare Research (NCH) and Department of Health Sciences
3Department of Social Psychiatry, University of Groningen Groningen, The Netherlands
1Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and Westat Inc. Rockville, MD, USA
2Califomia Medical Review Inc. San Francisco, CA, USA

G. I. J. M. Kempen, Department of Medical Sociology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. E-mail: g.kempen{at}medsoc.unimaas.nl

Introduction: we have tested the hypothesis that the co-occurrence of common impairments (motor and cognitive impairments, vision and hearing loss, depressive symptoms) of later life have exacerbating effects on disability [activities and instrumental activities of daily living, social and role function, (inactivity]. Method: data were drawn from a community-based sample of 624 people aged 57 and older. Results: motor impairments and depressive symptoms were associated with all disability measures, even when the effects of other impairments, age and gender were controlled. This indicates independent, predominant effects of motor impairments and depressive symptoms. Although several significant first-order interaction effects (indicating exacerbation) of impairments on disability were found, they were not very strong, but vision and hearing losses exacerbate the impact of the other impairments on disability.

Conclusions: impairments, particularly motor impairments and depressive symptoms, largely act ‘solo’, by main effects on disability. Only a few combinations including vision or hearing loss further exacerbate the effects of other impairments on disability.

Keywords: depression, disability, hearing impairment vision

Received October 20, 1997; accepted in revised form December 22, 1997.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Clin RehabilHome page
C. M Stretton, N. K Latham, K. N Carter, A. C Lee, and C. S Anderson
Determinants of physical health in frail older people: the importance of self-efficacy
Clinical Rehabilitation, April 1, 2006; 20(4): 357 - 366.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Am J EpidemiolHome page
S. E. Hardy, J. A. Dubin, T. R. Holford, and T. M. Gill
Transitions between States of Disability and Independence among Older Persons
Am. J. Epidemiol., March 15, 2005; 161(6): 575 - 584.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch Intern MedHome page
S. E. Hardy and T. M. Gill
Factors Associated With Recovery of Independence Among Newly Disabled Older Persons
Arch Intern Med, January 10, 2005; 165(1): 106 - 112.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 JAMAHome page
S. E. Hardy and T. M. Gill
Recovery From Disability Among Community-Dwelling Older Persons
JAMA, April 7, 2004; 291(13): 1596 - 1602.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Clin RehabilHome page
B. Wolf, H. Feys, W. De Weerdt, J. van der Meer, M. Noom, and G. Aufdemkampe
Effect of a physical therapeutic intervention for balance problems in the elderly: A single-blind, randomized, controlled multicentre trial
Clinical Rehabilitation, June 1, 2001; 15(6): 624 - 636.
[Abstract] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.