Abstract
The first purpose of this study was to develop a Sitting Independence Measure (SIM) for the disabled elderly in a community and to examine the reliability, validity, and usefulness of the SIM. The second purpose was to explore the community health nursing care for prevention to a bed-ridden based on the SIM. The subjects were 94 disabled elderly, 65 years and older, in a rural community in Japan. Community health nurses and home visiting nurses in the study field conducted the interview research. The SIM consists of four items based on the sitting tolerance (if they attempt they can achieve it) and five items based on the routine sitting (sitting activities of daily living). The total score of the nine items determines the sitting independence of the elderly. The reliability assessment demonstrated that the sitting tolerance, the routine sitting, and the SIM total score had a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.96, 0.69, and 0.72 respectively. The constant validity assessment demonstrated that a significant correlation between the SIM and ADL (the sitting tolerance, the routine sitting, and the SIM total score had a correlation of 0.78, 0.73, and 0.78 respectively), and between the SIM and sitting tolerance time per a day (the sitting tolerance, the routine sitting, and the SIM total score had a correlation of 0.48, 0.78, and 0.58 respectively). Looking at the SIM, the subjects can be classified into four main groups that focus on health promotion, risk management, vitality promotion, and disuse-syndrome prevention in the community health nursing approach. It was concluded that the SIM had a certain reliability, validity and usefulness in a clinical setting.
