Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 2 S101-S109, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Self-care and assistance from others in coping with functional status limitations among a national sample of older adults

JE Norburn, SL Bernard, TR Konrad, A Woomert, GH DeFriese, WD Kalsbeek, GG Koch and MG Ory
Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, Department of Health Policy and Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

Using data from the first wave of a new longitudinal data set collected in the late fall and winter of 1990-1991, the National Survey of Self- Care and Aging (NSSCA), we examined older adults' self-care practices in coping with functional status limitations based on in-person interviews with a national probability sample of 3,485 noninstitutionalized adults aged 65 or older selected from Medicare beneficiary files. A composite score of functional status was calculated to reflect the presence and severity of disability in three dimensions: basic, mobility, and instrumental activities of daily living. Three types of self-care coping strategies were defined: use of equipment or devices, changes in behavior, and modifications in one's environment. National estimates of self-care practices, assistance from others, and functional status measures were presented. Data revealed that the likelihood of engaging in self-care coping strategies increased as the severity of disability increased, except among the most severely disabled. Generally, those receiving assistance from others were more likely to engage in self-care activities, suggesting that receiving assistance supplements, rather than supplants, self-care coping strategies.

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