An evaluation of functional fitness in assisted living and independent living residents

ii As our aging population continues to increase, more older adults will be in need of services provided by Continuing Care Retirement Communities. Although subjective activities of daily living (ADL) assessments are common tools used when determining appropriate living arrangements for older adults who are in need of care, there is some controversy over whether these are adequate indicators of physical functioning (Bottomley and Lewis, 2003; Peck, 2005). As a result, the functional ability of these individuals may be over or underestimated, resulting in inappropriate living placement within a retirement community. Therefore, the implementation of an effective means to assess the functional status of these individuals is imperative. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional fitness of individuals residing in independent living and assisted living facilities using a series of physical tests to assess strength, balance, flexibility, and aerobic endurance. Participants were women (n = 21) between 70 and 92 years of age, residing in either independent living (n = 12) or assisted living (n = 9) in