Functional decline in older adults one year after hospitalization

We studied the change in personal ability to perform the activities of daily living (P-ADL) one year after hospitalization (T2) of patients at least 65 years old at baseline (T1). The study included 363 (175 men) medical inpatients with age range 65-98 (mean 80.2, SD 7.5) years. Information was collected at baseline and at a 12 month follow-up using Lawton and Brody's physical self-maintenance scale (PSMS) (termed the P-ADL score), as the dependent variable, and the mini-mental state examination (MMSE), the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HAD) and the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire as independent variables. For the total sample, the mean P-ADL was significantly worsened from T1 to T2 (mean change 0.5, SD 2.8; p<0.01). In a fully adjusted linear regression analysis, worsened P-ADL from T1 to T2 was independently associated with cognitive impairment at T1, increasing cognitive impairment from T1 to T2, the tendency to fall between T1 and T2, increase in depressive symptoms from T1 to T2, poor physical QOL at T1 and change toward a poorer QOL from T1 to T2. In conclusion, worse P-ADL at T2 was, independently of age and baseline P-ADL, associated with impaired cognitive function and QOL related to physical ability at baseline, as well as worsening depression, cognition and QOL from T1 to T2. Our findings highlight the importance of applying results from screening measures of cognitive function and emotional health when planning care for older people after hospitalization.