Makoto Tokunaga, MD, PhD, Miki Yonemura, RPT, Rieko Inoue, ST, Katsuhiko Sannomiya,
RPT, Yukihiko Nakashima, OTR, Susumu Watanabe, MD, PhD, Ryoji Nakanishi, MD, PhD,
Hiroaki Yamanaga, MD, PhD, Hiroyuki Yonemitsu, MD, PhD, Shigeru Sonoda, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 3: 32-36, 2012
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to clarify the
effects of age on the gain of Functional Independence
Measure (FIM) total scores in stroke patients.
Methods: A total of 1,572 stroke patients who were
discharged from the kaifukuki rehabilitation ward of
Hospital A were studied. The patients were classifi ed
into six groups according to their FIM scores at the
time of admission (AFIM scores), and further divided
into four groups according to their ages (59 years or
younger, 60 to 69 years, 70 to 79 years, and 80 years
or older). The mean FIM score gains of these 24 groups
were compared.
Results: FIM score gain decreased signifi cantly as the
age of the patients increased in the groups with AFIM
scores from 18 to 107 points. In the group with AFIM
scores of 36 to 53 points, the mean FIM score gain in
patients aged 80 years or older (19.7 points) was 38%
of that in patients aged 59 years or younger (51.8
points). In the group with AFIM scores of 108 to 126
points, the relationship between age and FIM score
gain was unclear.
Conclusion: The FIM score gain in older patients was
signifi cantly lower than that in younger patients,
except in the group with AFIM scores of 108 to 126
points in which a ceiling effect was observed.
Key words: age, FIM score gain, classifi cation, stroke, kaifukuki rehabilitation ward