Abstract
Heterogeneity in older adults' mobility and its correlates have rarely been investigated based on objective mobility data and in samples including cognitively impaired individuals. We analyzed mobility profiles within a cognitively heterogeneous sample of N = 257 older adults from Israel and Germany based on GPS tracking technology. Participants were aged between 59 and 91 years (M = 72.9; SD = 6.4) and were either cognitively healthy (CH, n = 146), mildly cognitively impaired (MCI, n = 76), or diagnosed with an early-stage dementia of the Alzheimer's type (DAT, n = 35). Based on cluster analysis, we identified three mobility types (Mobility restricted, Outdoor oriented, Walkers), which could be predicted based on socio-demographic indicators, activity, health, and cognitive impairment status using discriminant analysis. Particularly demented individuals and persons with worse health exhibited restrictions in mobility. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of heterogeneity in mobility in old age.
| Original language | American English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1001-1027 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Journal of Applied Gerontology |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Dec 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the German Research Foundation from 2008 to 2011, based on a grant to Hans-Werner Wahl (WA809/11-1).
Publisher Copyright:
© Southern Gerontological Society.
Keywords
- GPS technology
- dementia
- mild cognitive impairment
- mobility
- old age