Conclusions This review shows that physical frailty indicators can predict ADL disability in community-dwelling elderly people .
Slow gait speed and low physical activity/exercise seem to be the most powerful predictors followed by weight loss , lower extremity function , balance , muscle strength , and other indicators .
Nevertheless , our study suggests that monitoring physical frailty indicators in community-dwelling elderly people might be useful to identify elderly people who could benefit from disability prevention programs
Background Disability in Activities of Daily Living ( ADL ) is an adverse outcome of frailty that places a burden on frail elderly people , care providers and the care system .
Knowing which physical frailty indicators predict ADL disability is useful in identifying elderly people who might benefit from an intervention that prevents disability or increases functioning in daily life .
The objective of this study was to systematic ally review the literature on the predictive value of physical frailty indicators on ADL disability in community-dwelling elderly people .
Modifiable risk factors predict functional decline among older women: a prospectively validated clinical prediction tool. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group.
OBJECTIVE To identify modifiable predictors of functional decline among community-residing older women and to derive and vali date a clinical prediction tool for functional decline based only on modifiable predictors . DESIGN A prospect i ve cohort study . SETTING Four geographic areas of the United States . PARTICIPANTS Community-residing women older than age 65 recruited from population -based listings between 1986 and 1988 ( n = 6632 ) . MEASUREMENTS Modifiable predictors were considered to be those that a clinician seeing an older patient for the first time could reasonably expect to change over a 4-year period : benzodiazepine use , depression , low exercise level , low social functioning , body-mass index , poor visual acuity , low bone mineral density , slow gait , and weak grip . Known predictors of functional decline unlikely to be amenable to intervention included age , education , medical comorbidity , cognitive function , smoking history , and presence of previous spine fracture . All variables were measured at baseline ; only modifiable predictors were c and i date s for the prediction tool . Functional decline was defined as loss of ability over the 4-year interval to perform one or more of five vigorous or eight basic daily activities . RESULTS Slow gait , short-acting benzodiazepine use , depression , low exercise level , and obesity were significant modifiable predictors of functional decline in both vigorous and basic activities . Weak grip predicted functional decline in vigorous activities , whereas long-acting benzodiazepine  use and poor visual acuity predicted functional decline in basic activities . A prediction rule based on these eight modifiable predictors classified women in the derivation set into three risk groups for decline in vigorous activities ( 12 % , 25 % , and 39 % risk ) and two risk groups for decline in basic activities ( 2 % and 10 % risk ) . In the validation set , the probabilities of functional decline were nearly identical . CONCLUSIONS A substantial portion of the variation of functional decline can be attributed to risk factors amenable to intervention over the short term . Using eight modifiable predictors that can be identified in a single office visit , clinicians can identify older women at risk for functional decline
Conclusions This review shows that physical frailty indicators can predict ADL disability in community-dwelling elderly people .
Slow gait speed and low physical activity/exercise seem to be the most powerful predictors followed by weight loss , lower extremity function , balance , muscle strength , and other indicators .
Nevertheless , our study suggests that monitoring physical frailty indicators in community-dwelling elderly people might be useful to identify elderly people who could benefit from disability prevention programs
Background Disability in Activities of Daily Living ( ADL ) is an adverse outcome of frailty that places a burden on frail elderly people , care providers and the care system .
Knowing which physical frailty indicators predict ADL disability is useful in identifying elderly people who might benefit from an intervention that prevents disability or increases functioning in daily life .
The objective of this study was to systematic ally review the literature on the predictive value of physical frailty indicators on ADL disability in community-dwelling elderly people .