Development of a checklist for cohabitating family involvement as a factor contributing to homebound status in the elderly

Abstract

  The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist to measure cohabitating family involvement, a factor that may contribute to homebound status in the elderly. In April 2014, surveys were sent to all 1,229 ADL-independent individuals aged 70 years or older and the family members living with them in a village in Japan. The survey for the elderly individuals included data items such as basic demographics, frequency of going out, and social support. Survey items for the families included a family involvement scale created from the preliminary study, basic demographics, and the WHO-5. In addition, a follow-up survey was performed in September 2015 to assess homebound status among the elderly participants. In total, 497 elderly successfully completed follow up. As a result of the analysis of the items regarding the relationship between homebound status and the preliminary 13-item family involvement checklist, six items were selected for the final family involvement checklist (α=0.63). Validity was confirmed through correlations with social support and the WHO-5. The occurrence of homebound status approximately 1.5 years later confirmed that higher scores on the checklist corresponded to higher incidence of homebound status.