Excerpt

The purpose of the workshop, as noted earlier, was to draw on the most current understanding of methodological advances to improve the measurement of physical and cognitive disabilities in population surveys of older adults, focusing on disability measures that are suitable for population surveys and that are most relevant for monitoring of trends and policy oriented research and evaluation.

Contents

• The National Academies
• Steering Committee on Improving Survey Measurement of Late-life Disability: Beyond ADLs and IADLs
• Committee on National Statistics 2009
• Committee on Population
• Acknowledgments
• 1. Introduction
  • BACKGROUND
  • LACK OF CONSISTENCY IN DEFINITION OF DISABILITY
  • HISTORICAL VIEWS OF DISABILITY
  • WORKSHOP PLAN AND REPORT OVERVIEW
• 2. Challenges to Improving Measurement of Late-Life Functioning and Disability
  • POPULATION SURVEY MEASURES OF FUNCTIONING: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
  • DEVELOPING QUESTIONS TO IDENTIFY PEOPLE EARLY IN THE DISABLEMENT PROCESS
  • ENHANCING THE ASCERTAINMENT OF DISABILITY
  • SELF VERSUS PROXY RESPONSES IN SURVEYS
  • EXPANDING MODES OF SURVEY ADMINISTRATION
  • DISCUSSION
• 3. Potential Methods for Revising Measures to Foster Comparability Across Subgroups
  • PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN SURVEYS
  • IMPROVING PATIENT-REPORTED MEASURES USING ITEM RESPONSE THEORY AND COMPUTER-ADAPTIVE TESTING
  • USE OF EASILY COLLECTED BIOMARKERS OF CHRONIC DISEASES
  • DEVELOPING MEASURES OF TIME USE TO STUDY DISABILITY
  • DISCUSSION
• 4. Improving the Validity of Cross-Population Comparisons
  • ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF LIMITATIONS IN COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING AND DISABILITY
  • USING VIGNETTES TO IMPROVE CROSS-POPULATION COMPARABILITY OF SELF-RATED DISABILITY MEASURES
  • NEW APPROACHES TO COGNITIVE AND FIELD TESTING OF DISABILITY MEASURES
  • DISCUSSION
• 5. Measuring Functioning and Disability in Context
  • INCORPORATING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND HOME MODIFICATION MEASURES
  • INCORPORATING QUESTIONS ON BEHAVIORAL ADAPTATIONS IN FUNCTIONAL LIMITATION MEASURES
  • UTILITY OF PARTICIPATION MEASURES IN SURVEYS
  • DISCUSSION
• 6. Research and Development Toward Improved Measures of Late-Life Disability
  • PANEL COMMENTS
  • DISCUSSION
  • CONCLUDING COMMENTS
• References
• Appendixes
  • A Population Survey Measures of Functioning: Strengths and Weaknesses
  • B Workshop Agenda and Presenters
  • C Biographical Sketches of Steering Committee Members

Gooloo S Wunderlich, Rapporteur.

This study was supported by Contract No. N01-OD-4-2139, TO #195 between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute on Aging. Support of the work of the Committee on National Statistics is provided by a consortium of federal agencies through a grant from the National Science Foundation (Number SES-0453930).

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. (2009). Improving the Measurement of Late-Life Disability in Population Surveys: Beyond ADLs and IADLs, Summary of a Workshop. Gooloo S. Wunderlich, Rapporteur. Committee on National Statistics and Committee on Population. Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.