[Factors associated with a 1-year development in the functional autonomy of elderly persons living at home]

The purpose of the study was to examine the incidence and reversibility of disability among elderly people over one year follow-up and to determine the predictors of functional changes. The population used in this analysis consisted in 1850 subjects aged 65 and over included in the PAQUID cohort and visited again at one year follow-up. Disability was measured by Katz's scale (Activities of Daily Living or ADLs), Lawton's scale (Instrumental Activities of Daily Living or IADLs) and a mobility scale. The one year incidence of the dependency was 5.6% for ADLs, 10.8% for IADLs, and 3.3% for mobility. Being dependent at baseline was associated with an increased risk of one year mortality comprised between 3.3 and 5.3 according to the measurement scale. Recovery back to independence was frequent however, especially for ADLs (44.7%) and mobility (28.9%). Predictors of disability were: age in all scales, vision impairment and Mini Mental State Examination score for IADL and mobility scales, depressive symptomatology for ADLs, female sex and breathlessness for IADLs. Absence of cognitive impairment at baseline was associated with recovery to independence in all scales.