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Related Experiment Videos

Why do older adults decide they are having difficulty with a task?

Patricia C Gregory1, Linda P Fried

  • 1Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Johns Hopkins Unviersity School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21239, USA.

American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
|January 3, 2003
PubMed
Summary
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Older adults often modify mobility tasks due to difficulty. Common reasons include changes in method, rate, or frequency, especially for tasks requiring higher exercise tolerance.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Kinesiology
  • Rehabilitation Science

Background:

  • Previous research identified risk factors for physical function decline in older adults.
  • However, specific reasons for mobility task difficulties remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify and analyze the most common reasons older adults report difficulty performing mobility tasks.
  • To investigate the relationship between task modification and perceived difficulty.

Main Methods:

  • An observational cohort study involved 160 community-dwelling adults aged 59 and older.
  • Participants were surveyed to determine self-reported reasons for mobility task difficulties.

Main Results:

  • Mobility tasks were frequently reported as difficult (66%).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Task modification (method, rate, frequency) was the primary reason cited for difficulty, particularly in low and high exercise tolerance tasks.
  • Significant odds ratios were found for modification and frequency changes in relation to perceived difficulty.

    • Conclusions:

    • Older adults can articulate specific reasons for mobility task difficulties.
    • Task modification is the most prevalent reason reported for experiencing challenges with mobility.