Constructing a typology of elderly participants in a long-term care prevention class based on physical characteristics and associations with ADLs

Abstract

Objective

This study aimed to construct a typology of participants in a long-term care prevention class using cluster analysis and to examine whether certain types were associated with differences in ADL characteristics.

Method

Subjects were 58 participants in a long-term care prevention class held at our hospital. Cluster analysis was used to group subjects based on their performance on several fitness tests at the time of class enrollment: grip strength test, one-leg standing test, 30-second chair stand test, and the timed up & go test. Next, the types generated were checked for associations with ADL-related items on a questionnaire given at enrollment.

Results

Cluster analysis grouped subjects into two broad groups: Group A, who tended to be older and had poor motor function, and Group B, who tended to be younger and had good motor function. In terms of ADLs, Group A consisted of fewer people who could climb stairs without holding a handrail or wall for support and more who were worried about fall risk.

Conclusion

This study successfully constructed a typology of elderly participants in a long-term care prevention class based on their attributes and motor function at enrollment and identified distinct patterns in their ADLs associated with the types. We contend that the ADL performance of such participants can be predicted based on enrollment data, which would facilitate the customization of programs and support methods deemed most suitable based on the characteristics of each type.