Restricted Activity and Functional Decline Among Community-Living Older Persons

Abstract
IN A RECENTLY published report,1 we found that restricted activity, defined as staying in bed for at least half a day and/or cutting down on one's usual activities because of an illness, injury, or other problem,2 is common among community-living older persons, regardless of risk for disability, and is usually attributable to several concurrent health-related problems. Over a median follow-up of 15 months, for example, about 3 of every 4 persons reported restricted activity during at least 1 month, and nearly 40% reported restricted activity during 2 consecutive months.1