Functional independence and life satisfaction with vision loss from age-related macular degeneration: A study of older adults

This research study was designed to examine functional independence and life satisfaction of older adults experiencing vision loss from Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD). The objective of this study was to examine the relationships among functional independence and life satisfaction, specific antecedent variables (that included age, gender, co-morbidity, marital status, years of education, and annual income), and the mediating variable vision loss. The Model of Functional Independence and Life Satisfaction of Older Adults with Vision Loss from ARMD (see Figure 1) was tested. Variables which may influence functional independence and life satisfaction were tested. The causal model identifies the antecedent variables of age, gender, co-morbidity, marital status, education, and income; the mediating variable, vision loss; and the outcome variables of functional independence and life satisfaction. In the Model of Functional Independence and Life Satisfaction of Older Adults with Vision Loss, standardized regression and correlation coefficients were used to estimate the strength and direction of the hypothesized relationships. Approximately 80 participants with best-corrected visual acuities of 20/200 or worse in both eyes were selected from the Vitreo-Retinal Foundation clinics located in Memphis, Tennessee; Paris, Tennessee and Jonesboro, Arkansas; who met all inclusion criteria. Information was elicited using the following seven instruments: Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire, Demographic Data Sheet, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Life Satisfaction Index-A, Snellen Acuity Chart, and Rosenbaum Pocket Vision Screener.;The study results indicated that the greater the severity of vision loss, the more difficulty older adults had in carrying out activities of daily living, specifically shopping, laundry, and handling finances. The more illnesses older adults had, the more difficult they had in independently dealing with finances or doing housekeeping. Likewise, these older individuals experienced greater difficulty in doing daily chores. Married older adults had greater life satisfaction than widowed and single ones. In addition, the more illnesses older adults had, the lesser satisfaction in life they expressed. The Final Model of Functional Independence and Life Satisfaction of Older Adults with Vision Loss identified age, co-morbidity, and vision loss as independent predictors of functional independence and co-morbidity and marital status as independent predictors of life satisfaction.