Performance measures rather than self-report measures of functional status predict home care use in community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Background. Occupational therapists frequently assess functional status (FS) to determine the home care (HC) service requirements of older adults. However, it is unclear which type of FS measure is most effective for this purpose. Purpose. This study investigated the predictive ability of three measures of FS (a self-report measure of usual behaviour, a self-report measure of capacity, and an observational performance measure—the Performance Assessment of Self-Care Skills [PASS]) on formal HC utilization. Method. A secondary analysis of 2001 Aging in Manitoba Longitudinal Study (AIM) data was conducted. Findings. The odds of receiving HC within the 30-month follow-up period were 1.32 times (or 30%) higher for each increase in the number of dependent tasks based upon a standardized performance measure. The self-report measures did not predict HC utilization. Implications. This study suggests that standardized performance measures—in particular, the PASS—are more predictive of formal HC use in community-dwelling older adults than self-report measures.