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