Clinical applications of the Adelaide Activities Profile

Abstract

Objective: The Adelaide Activities Profile (AAP) was developed from the Frenchay Activities Index, and has been shown to be a valid measure of the lifestyle activities of elderly people. The goals of the current study were to illustrate the value of applying the AAP in the clinical setting, and to demonstrate the relationship of the AAP to the use of formal services. Design: Data were collected as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ALSA). A community sample, stratified by age and sex, was chosen to be representative of the elderly population of Adelaide, South Australia. Participants: A sample of 1799 community-dwelling people aged 70 years and over. Measures: Lifestyle activities were assessed with the AAP, which provides measures of activity on four scales: domestic chores, household maintenance, service to others, and social activities. Participants were defined as users of formal services if they were active clients of any of the Domiciliary Care and Rehabilitation Services, Meals-on-Wheels, or the Royal District Nursing Society. Results: Age and sex norms for the AAP were provided, and the clinical value of using these norms was illustrated by two contrasting case studies. Users of formal services had lower activity levels than nonusers for all AAP scales, particularly household maintenance and domestic chores. Conclusions: The AAP is a valuable addition to the standard battery of instruments used in the assessment of elderly people, and has clinical application as both a health outcome measure and an indicator of the need for intervention.