TABLE 1.
Percent of Elderly Population Meeting NLTCS Chronic Disability Criteria, 1984–1999
| Year | 5-Year Change | 10-Year Change | 15-Year Change | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 1989 | 1994 | 1999 | 1984–1989 | 1989–1994 | 1994–1999 | 1984–1994 | 1989–1999 | 1984–1999 | |
| Number of elderly (000s) | 27,968 | 30,871 | 33,125 | 34,459 | 2,903 | 2,254 | 1,334 | 5,157 | 3,588 | 6,491 |
| Distribution | Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | Percentage | ||||||
| No disability1 | 73.0 | 73.0 | 73.1 | 74.7 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.6* | 0.1 | 1.7* | 1.7* |
| Evidence of chronic disability but not now chronically disabled2 | 4.8 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 5.6 | 0.8* | 1.1* | −1.2* | 2.0* | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| Chronically disabled3 | 22.1 | 21.3 | 20.1 | 19.7 | −0.7 | −1.2* | −0.4 | −2.0* | −1.6* | −2.4* |
| Community IADL equipment only | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Community ADL equipment only | 1.6 | 2.1 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 0.5* | 0.4* | 0.5* | 0.9* | 0.9* | 1.4* |
| Any human help | 19.8 | 18.5 | 16.9 | 15.9 | −1.3* | −1.6* | −0.9 | −2.9* | −2.5* | −3.8* |
| Community human help with IADLs only | 7.4 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 4.2 | −2.0* | −0.6* | −0.5 | −2.7* | −1.1* | −3.1* |
| Community human help with at least one ADL activity | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 0.3 | −0.6 | −0.2 | −0.3 | −0.8* | −0.5 |
| Institutional resident | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 0.4 | −0.3 | −0.3 | 0.1 | −0.6* | −0.2 |
Note: Estimates may not add up to column or row totals because of rounding.
*Difference is statistically significant at the 5% level in a two-tailed test.
Defined as being a community resident and 1) having no problem requiring human help or special equipment with any of six ADLs (eating, transfer, indoor mobility, dressing, bathing, and toileting), incontinence, or outside mobility, and 2) being able to perform all of eight IADLs (preparing meals, doing laundry, doing light housework, shopping for groceries, getting around outside, managing money, taking medicine, and making phone calls).
This group includes those who reported difficulty with ADLs or inability to perform IADLs on the screening interview or were disabled in a previous round of the survey but either failed to meet the three-month criterion for chronic disability or reported no ADL or IADL disability on the detailed interview.
Persons who are chronically disabled comprise those performing IADLs with only equipment, those performing ADLs with only equipment, and those receiving human help to perform these activities. Persons receiving human help include community residents receiving help only with IADLs, community residents receiving help with ADLs, and institutional residents.