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Independent Living and Psychomotor Performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Robert Kerr  and
Roselyne Normand
Robert Kerr
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
Roselyne Normand
Affiliation:
University of Ottawa
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Abstract

While the majority of seniors live outside of institutions, many live in seniors apartment buildings rather than in single family dwellings. MacPherson (1983) suggested that not maintaining an independent living style may have some negative consequences for seniors. The question asked was whether differences in lifestyle arising from the nature of the residence were associated with measures of psychomotor performance. Some 36 seniors, average age approximately 68 yrs., all in good health, completed 800 responses on a discrete pursuit tracking task which emphasized response speed and accuracy. Significant differences in performance were noted for both RT and speed of movement. Overall, seniors living independently, either in urban or rural areas, responded faster than seniors living in seniors apartment buildings. The data do not imply a causal relationship, however, they do suggest that psychomotor variables are relevant factors to consider in regard to differing living styles.

Résumé

Alors que la majorité des personees âgées vivent en dehors des institutions, beaucoup d'entre elles résident plutôt dans des blocs-appartements pour retraités que dans des résidences familiales individuelles. MacPherson (1983) suggérait que, pour les aînés, le fait de ne pas avoir un style de vie autonome pouvait entraîner des conséquences négatives. La question qui était posée était de savoir si des différences dans le style de vie, découlant de la nature de la résidence, pouvaient être associées à des mesures de performances psychomotrices. Quelque trente-six retraités, dont la moyenne d'âge était approximativement de 68 ans, ont rempli des formulaires de huit cent questions, selon la méthode des tâches de poursuites discontinues. Ce travail exigeait précision et rapidité dans les réponses. On a pu remarquer des différences significatives, notamment dans la rapidité des mouvements. Les retraités vivant chez eux, de façon autonome, ont répondu plus rapidement que ceux qui résidaient dans des habitations pour retraités. Ces données ne peuvent permettre de conclure à une relation de cause à effet mais suggèrent que les variables concernant la psychomotricité constituent des facteurs pertinents à considérer, en regard des différents styles de vie.

Keywords

AgingIndependencePsychomotorRuralUrbanVieillissementindépendancepsychomoteurruralurbain
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 11 , Issue 1 , Spring/printemps 1992 , pp. 92 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1992

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