Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005;83(3):365-95.
doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0009.2005.00406.x.

Perspectives on the recent decline in disability at older ages

Douglas A Wolf  1 , Kelly Hunt, James Knickman
Affiliations

Perspectives on the recent decline in disability at older ages

Douglas A Wolf et al. Milbank Q. 2005.

Abstract

A decline has been found in the prevalence of disability among the older U.S. population during the 1980s and 1990s. One source of evidence for this decline is data from the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS). This article investigates possible ambiguities in measuring disability using large-scale household surveys, illustrating the consequences of such problems with new analyses of NLTCS data. The reanalysis suggests a more gradual decline in disability than that found in prior research. The article also discusses three societal trends in areas other than health or functioning that might contribute to declines in disability levels: a reduced supply of informal care, changes in the technology of self-care, and changes in the definition and perception of both "ability" and "disability."

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Adler MC, Hendershot GE. Federal Disability Surveys in the United States: Lessons and Challenges. 2000. [accessed June 2, 2003]. Proceedings of the Survey Research Methods Section, American Statistical Association. Available at http://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/Proceedings/y2000.html.
    1. Agree EM. The Influence of Personal Care and Assistive Devices on the Measurement of Disability. Social Science & Medicine. 1999;48:427–43. - PubMed
    1. Agree EM, Freedman VA. A Comparison of Assistive Technology and Personal Care in Alleviating Disability and Unmet Need. The Gerontologist. 2003;43:335–44. - PubMed
    1. Allen SM, Foster A, Berg K. Receiving Help at Home: The Interplay of Human and Technological Assistance. Journal of Gerontology. 2001;56B:S374–82. - PubMed
    1. American Deaf Culture: Perspectives on Deaf People (website) [accessed November 11, 2004]. Available at http://www.signmedia.com/info/adc.htm.

Publication types