Assessing Functional Status Measures In Older Adults: A Guide For Healthcare Professionals

Functional status, the degree to which an older person is able to perform socially allocated roles free of limitations and disability, is an important issue in gerontology. Functional status measures are increasingly being used to assess clinical progress, evaluate programs, and establish appropriate eligibility criteria for government and insurance programs. This review discusses and evaluates commonly used self-report and performance-orientated functional status measures employed in older populations. A description of the disablement pathway is provided, followed by a discussion of the components of functional measures. Finally, subjective and objective functional status measures used in clinical and research settings with older adults are discussed and evaluated.