Physical difficulties
The information on functional limitations caused by physical difficulties is taken from the international standard in this field, i.e. the OECD indicator (Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development).
For hearing difficulties, the indicator is based on being able to follow a conversation with one person or in a group of three or more people (if necessary with a hearing aid). For sight the question concerns being able to read small print in newspapers, or recognising a face from a distance of four metres (if necessary with glasses or contact lenses). Mobility limitations are measured in terms of being able to carry an object weighing five kilos, for example a full bag of shopping, for a distance of ten metres; bending over from a standing position to pick up something from the floor, and being able to walk for four hundred metres without stopping.
The answer categories are:
- without difficulty’;
- ‘with some difficulty’;
- ‘with great difficulty’;
- ‘not able to do so’.
People who answered one or more questions for a certain component with ‘with great difficulty’ or ‘not able to do so’ were counted as experiencing difficulties for this component.
The data on functional limitations are taken from the Permanent Life Situation Survey (POLS). The annual sample of older people (55 to 80 years) includes around 2,500 people. For this study, survey years 2004, 2005 and 2006 were combined in order to create a larger sample volume and thus more reliable estimates. The figures presented here have been corrected for age and sex. People living in homes and institutions are not included in the survey.