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Updated: May 30, 2026

Assessment of Dependence in Activities of Daily Living Among Older Patients in an Acute Care Unit
Published on: September 30, 2020
ADHD burden of illness in older adults: a life course perspective
Meryl Brod1, Eva Schmitt, Marc Goodwin
1The Brod Group, 219 Julia Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941, USA. mbrod@thebrodgroup.net
Purpose:
To explore the burden of illness and impact on patients' quality of life (QoL) experiences in older ADHD adults.
Methods:
Telephone interviews were conducted with older adult participants diagnosed with ADHD later in life. Transcripts were analyzed following a grounded theory approach.
Results:
Mean age of participants (N = 24) was 66 years, and mean age at diagnosis was 57 years; 68% were men and 63% reported other comorbid mental health conditions. ADHD symptoms reported were inattention (71%), impulsivity (58%), hyperactivity (54%), and disorganization (54%). The majority of participants (63%) experienced an accumulated lifetime burden of illness and reported being financially less-well-off, had lower educational achievement, job performance, and greater social isolation due to their ADHD. Older adults reported significantly greater impairments in productivity (P ≤ 0.02) and a better life outlook (P ≤ 0.05) than younger ADHD adults.
Conclusions:
Older adults' QoL suffers from the accumulative negative impact of ADHD symptoms/impairments on their professional, economic, social, and emotional well-being.
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