Awareness of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Disability: Pilot Study for Elderly Requiring Care and Caregivers

AIM: We aimed to investigate differences in the awareness of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability between elderly patients with and without dementia requiring care. METHODS: We assessed 25 elderly individuals requiring care and their primary caregivers using the Lawton IADL scale, with score differences between the patients and their caregivers representing the level of impaired awareness of IADL disability. RESULTS: Among the participants, 80% exhibited impaired awareness of IADL disability. In terms of total score on the Lawton scale, there was no between-group difference in the occurrence of impaired awareness of IADL disability (p = 0.274, φ = 0.31). Contrastingly, regarding the subitems of the Lawton scale, the dementia group had a significantly higher number of participants with impaired awareness of responsibility for their own medications than the nondementia group (p = 0.030, φ = 0.47). Further, there were no significant between-group differences in the ability to use telephone, shopping, mode of transportation, or ability to handle finances. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for caregivers to notice the emergence of impaired awareness among the elderly as soon as possible to ensure early diagnosis and treatment. The results of this study suggest the need for caregivers to take care of the elderly patients with the perspective that they may develop impaired awareness of responsibility for their own medications.