TheRelationship and Its Change with Aging between ADL Daily Life Satisfaction Characteristics in Independent Japanese Elderly Living at Home and Susumu Satoi

The purposes of this study were to examine the characteristics of the relationship between ADL ability and daily life satisfaction and the pattern change with aging in independent Japanese elderly, and to cornpare these tendencies between males and females. The characteristics of ADL ability and daily life satisfaction of 482 subjects (213 males, 269 females) were investigated in a self-response survey. Seventy-four ADL items, considered from previous studies, were selected from nine ADL domains of 1) movement, 2) going up and down stairs, 3) changing and holding posture, 4) bathing, 5) toileting, 6) dressing, 7) greoming, 8) eating, and 9) manual activities, and nine items of daily life satisfaction were selected from physical, psychological and sociological factors, Both ADL ability and life satisfaction of independent elderly tended te decline with aging. From correlation analysis, since life satisfaction of the elderly was higher with high ADL abi]ity level, it was considered that ADL ability level is one of the important factors in providing for life satisfaction of independent elderly. The subjeetive symptoms of inconvenience in the lower extremity and lurnbar region increased from the 70s in both genders, and the use of assisting deviees for movement remarkably increased in the 80s in both genders. The use of assisting deviees closely related to the activity area in daily life and influenced the characteristics of life satisfactien and its age-related change in the relationship between ADL ability and life satisfaction, The relationship between ADL ability and satisfaction with physical function was similar in both genders, while the relationship between ADL ability and satisfaction with sociological and psyehological faetors was different between males and females. Since the relationship between ADL ability and life satisfaction of independent elderly is influenced by a cornbination of personal, cultural, and environmental factors, additional study rnust investigate in detail the influence of these factors, J Physiot Anthropoe 21 (4): 195-204, 2002 httpi//ww,jstage.jst.go.jp!enf