Correlations between the ISAR Score and the ADL and IADL Indexes. Implications in Geriatric Nursing - Abstract
A demographic shift has occurred in the last decades in developed countries that have resulted in a considerable rise in the number of elderly patients. In this study the Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) index was correlated to the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) index and the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) index, in order to evaluate the influence of the ISAR score on the ADL and IADL indexes. Forty elderly subjects were enrolled in this study. Of these, twenty were male and twenty were female. From each participant a questionnaire was administered, which contained the ISAR score, the ADL and the IADL indexes. Correlations between the ISAR index and the ADL and the IADL scores were all statistical significant (p<0.05 and p<0.001). These simple screening tools predict functional impairment in older subjects. It is also moderately predictive of subsequent functional decline after an initial assessment. The ISAR with the ADL and the IADL score seem to be positively correlated and to provide a valid proxy measure for assessing functional status in older patients.