Abstract
This study was a three-year follow-up survey of Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) in elderly people living in a mountain area with heavy snowfall to investigate the changes in IADL and discuss the factors influencing the changes. Subjects were 90 elderly people aged 65 years or over with care levels less than II living by themselves or with family members of only elderly people in the B Ward of A City who did not have limitations in IADL for all five items in the initial survey in the winter of 2003. An interview survey was conducted for the follow-up by using a questionnaire in the winter of 2006, which was three years after the initial survey. The results showed the percentages of male and female subjects who still maintained IADL for all five items during the follow-up survey of 80.8% and 76.6%, respectively. The percentages were significantly higher in men who changed electric bulbs, cleared snow around the house, and prepared against disaster and in women who shopped for groceries, did laundry, cleaned rooms, bathed, maintained bedclothes, and threw out the garbage. These findings indicated that focusing on the daily activities of the elderly people may allow the early identification of individuals who are likely to require daily support and care at some point.
