The efficiency of activities of daily living (ADLs) skills in late adulthood: a mediational approach

The term “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs) refers to a set of fundamental tasks (i.e., toileting, bath- ing, personal care, eating, grooming, and getting dressed) considered necessary for living and being autonomous in everyday life. Although in the clinical setting ADLs efficiency is a marker to diagnose dementia, limited evidence on the mechanism implicating muscular function and cogni- tive alterations in ADLs skills in late adulthood exists. This study primarily intended to determine the extent to which executive functions mediate between muscular strength, as assessed through handgrip strength (HGS) measurement, and ADLs skills of older community-dwellers. A further goal was to explore the impact of gender and cognitive status on ADLs and HGS scores, using education as a covariate. Three hundred and thirty-four older participants, 199 females and 135 males (Mage 77.5years, SD 5.6years, age range 63–93years) completed a battery of tests assessing ADLs, HGS, and executive functions. The results showed that 34–56% of the variance in the ADLs condition was explained by HGS and executive functioning. Furthermore, cognitively healthy participants exhibited better ADLs skills, whereas cognitively impaired individuals, both males and females, exhibited poorer HGS efficiency. In conclusion, in clinical settings, the concur- rent evaluation of ADLs skills, motor, and higher-order cognitive processes should be encouraged to detect individuals needing a person-tailored intervention to boost their quality of life.