Abstract
The results of a study of activities of daily living (ADL) assessments in two different types of day hospital (general practitioner and consultant) for the elderly are presented. It was found that, based upon these assessments, a higher proportion of patients attending general practitioner day hospitals were less independent than their counterparts who attended a consultant day hospital. This difference was shown to be statistically significant in respect of the activities of washing (P<0.001) and dressing (P<0.01). It is concluded that ADL assessments are a useful way of indicating levels of independence in day hospitals for the elderly, and that the finding of differences in patient dependency between these two types of day hospital has important implications for the planning of occupational therapy services within district health authorities.
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