The Effect of use of restraints on daily activities of the elderly,

The relationship between the age of an individual in restraints and his ability to perform the activities of daily living (ADL) was studied. A demographic tool and ADL scale were administered at 5, 10, and 15 days after an elderly individual was placed in restraints. The scales were filled out by the nurses who were care for each of the 25 subjects. Age and the ADL scale scores were then correlated to assess the degree of relationship between the two variables. No significant relationship was found. This may have been due to the small sample size or to the uneven distribution of men and women throughout the age continuum. The ADL scores over time were also analyzed with respect to demographic variable. Activities organized by the staff for the subject had a week positive correlation to the score at day five (p<.05). Lack of strong relationship may be due to the fact that the subjects’ activities were not varied day to day. Finally, test scores were analyzed for change over time, which provided the most significant results of the study. Analysis showed that over a 15-day period of restrains, the subject showed a decrease in the ability to perform the activities of daily living.