Studies of Illness in the Aged

Abstract

The Index of ADL was developed to study results of treatment and prognosis in the elderly and chronically ill. Grades of the Index summarize over-all per- formance in bathing, dressing, going to toilet, transferring, continence, and feed- ing. More than 2,000 evaluations of 1,001 individuals demonstrated use of the Index as a survey instrument, as an objec- tive guide to the course of chronic illness, as a tool for studying the aging process, and as an aid in rehabilitation teaching. Of theoretical interest is the observation that the order of recovery of Index func- tions in disabled patients is remarkably similar to the order of development of primary functions in children. This par- allelism, and similarity to the behavior of primitive peoples, suggests that the Index is based on primary biological and psychosocial function, reflecting the ad- equacy of organized neurological and locomotor response.