Cognitive Impairment and Functional Performance of Patients Admitted to a Geriatric Assessment and Rehabilitation Centre

The purpose of this outcome study was to determine the effectiveness of interventions that were aimed at improving the functional performance of the cognitively impaired elderly persons admitted to a geriatric assessment and rehabilitation centre. Change in functional performance was measured using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Subjects in the study (n = 65) demonstrated significant levels of improvement between admission and discharge (f = 80.74, p < 0.0001) and the amount of improvement seen did not differ between those who were moderately or severely cognitively impaired. Admission FIM scores accounted for 81% of the variance seen in discharge scores and were therefore significant predictors of functional ability. Sixty-six percent of subjects in the study group were discharged home. The intensity of time in occupational and physical therapy was thought to be a variable contributing to the subject's change in functional status; however, the results of this study indicate that direct therap...