Changes over time in long-term care use, ADL and IADL among the oldest-old participants of the Aging in Manitoba Longitudinal Study

By the year 2031 the oldest-old (85 years and older) could make up 4 per cent of the total Canadian population. This paper reports on changes in long-term care use, activities of daily living (ADL), and instrumental activities of daily living (LADL) experienced by the oldest-old participants of the Aging in Manitoba Longitudinal Study over three points that span 13 years. Thirty-eight point four per cent of participants did not use long-term care over the periods of interest. Seventy-five to eighty-eight per cent of participants were able to continue to eat, get around the house and get in and out of bed without the assistance of another person. For IADL, the proportion of people not requiring assistance over time ranged from 3 per cent (doing household repairs) to 58 per cent (making a cup of tea or coffee). The findings of these analyses point to the heterogeneity of functional abilities among the oldest-old, and contribute additional knowledge to the growing literature on this special population.