Abstract:

The study sought to determine the relationship of assistive device use, pain, and functional status of physical disability among elderly persons with disabilities. 194 community-based elderly persons were divided into 7 groups based on degree of physical disability derived from their sickness impact profile scores. Dependent measures included the functioanl independence measure (FIM) for activities of daily living (ADLs), the Jette Functional Status Index modified for pain and the assistive technology used survey for use of assistive devices. The seven groups showed staistically significant differences (P <).05) in reported pain scores, in functional status as determined by performance on ADL tasks, and in use of assistive devices. The results indicate that the use of assistive devices by elderly persons living in the community is associated with an interaction of several variables that are strongly related to severity of physical disability.