The description of activities of daily living in five centres in England and Wales

Objectives: the Medical Research Council Cognitive Function and, ageing Study is a longitudinal study of health and well-being of the ageing UK population. We present the screening interview which assesses how this group copes with activities of daily living (ADL), and characteristic ranges for the total score of these activities by age and sex. Design: random sampling was from Family Health Service Authority lists in three urban and two rural areas, including institutions. Participants (n = 13 009) in their 65th year and over were interviewed between 1991 and 1994. The sample was stratified to provide equal numbers in the 65-74 and 75 years and over age groups. Each participant was asked about socio-demographic variables, cognitive function, physical health, medication and ADL (based on the nine items from the self-reported Townsend's disability scale). Results: the scale shows good reliability and validity in this study. There is a high frequency of disability amongst the oldest old, and relationships between ability and age and between ability and sex and other sociodemographic variables: the risk of having difficulty increases with living away from home, with poorer eyesight and speech, with lower social class and with lack of further education. Projections of the number (and percentage) of severely disabled over-65-year-olds in the UK in 2011 and 2051 are 1.4 million (2.2%) and 2.3 million (3.9%) respectively.