Talk the talk and walk the walk. Evaluation of autonomy in aging and Alzheimer disease by simulating instrumental activities of daily living: the S-IADL

Véronique Quaglino (1) , Yannick Gounden (1) , Emilie Lacot (1, 2) , Frédérique Couvillers (3) , Amandine Lions (4) , Mathieu Hainselin (1)

1 UPJV - Université de Picardie Jules Verne
2 Service de Génétique Clinique et Oncogénétique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire d'Amiens Picardie, Amiens, France
3 Service de neurologie [Amiens]
4 IME Les Martinets, Adapei 36 l'Espoir, Saint Maur, France

Objective. The autonomy of individuals is linked to the achievement of instrumental activities of daily living that require complex behavior. In the elderly, the assessment of autonomy is usually based on questionnaires that have strong subjective constraints. Considering this fact, we tested elderly healthy adults and Alzheimer disease patients using a new measure, the S-IADL (Simulation of Instrumental Activities for Daily Living), to assess the ability to perform effectively activities of daily living. Method. The S-IADL shares many items with the well-known IADL questionnaire proposed by Lawton & Brody (1969). However, as opposed to the IADL, the assessment of autonomy is not based on the completion of a questionnaire but requires the realization or simulation of various activities of daily living. Eighty-three participants (69 healthy elderly, and 14 Alzheimer Disease patients) completed the IADL and performed the S-IADL assessment. Results. Results revealed that, like the IADL, the S-IADL is able to identify AD patients who are likely to encounter difficulties in performing everyday activities, and no major differences were found between the IADL and the S-IADL. Conclusions. We outlined some advantages for prefering, in certain situation, this new tool based on simulation of activities in functional evaluation. Finally, we discuss the main limits of the S-IADL that should be investigated prior to its utilization by clinicians. Subjects Neurology, Psychiatry and Psychology

Mots clés: Assessment; Autonomy; Daily living; IADL; Alzheimer disease

Domaines: Psychologie et comportements; Education; Psychologie; Psychiatrie et santé mentale; Sciences cognitives

Véronique Quaglino, Yannick Gounden, Emilie Lacot, Frédérique Couvillers, Amandine Lions, et al.. Talk the talk and walk the walk. Evaluation of autonomy in aging and Alzheimer disease by simulating instrumental activities of daily living: the S-IADL. PeerJ, 2016, 4, pp.e2351. ⟨10.7717/peerj.2351⟩. ⟨hal-01389676⟩