[AGGIR scale: a contribution to specifying the needs of disabled elders]

Several instruments are used for the assessment of the disability, and the scale AGGIR (Autonomie Gérontologie Groupes Iso-Ressources) is the one most commonly used in France. This scale covers so-called instrumental dimensions, that correspond to relatively complex activities with the dominating cognitive component (cooking, medication use, finances, etc.) as well as dimensions with the dominating physical component (so-called fundamental dimensions that are related to such activities as walking, dressing, toileting, etc.). However, at present, only the fundamental activities are taken into account while assessing the dependency of the elderly within the scale AGGIR. The aim of our study was to identify the relative importance of these two dimensions (fundamental and instrumental) in the definition and identification of difficulties that older people encounter in their everyday life. A principal components analysis was carried out using 525 AGGIR scales of non-institutionalized elders living at their homes. The results indicate that the inclusion of instrumental activities may improve the assessment of dependency of the elderly and thus facilitate the implementation of appropriate responses to the needs of disabled people.