Abstract
Objective We conducted a longitudinal study using Functional Independence Measures to clarify factors related to independence of activities of daily living of elderly receiving in-home service under the long-term care insurance system.
Methods Fifty-four elderly users of the in-home service of Ibaraki Prefecture assented to participate in this study and were analyzed. A researcher conducted survey at the baseline and after follow-up by visiting the elderly at each home. The evaluation standards used here were the Japanese version of Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15).
Results The FIM score (mean±SD) was decreased 83.6±36.4 to 81.7±37.4 during the 112±22.2 day follow up period. Thirty-nine elderly demonstrated improvement or no change in FIM and 15 had declining scores. To clarify independent factors related to FIM change, we conducted a step-wise multifactor logistic regression analysis, and the results suggested importance for “in-home service availability” and “home care period less than one year”.
Conclusion Our study suggested that it is important for maintenance or improvement of ADL in home care elderly to provide sufficient home care services from the beginning under the long-term care insurance system.
