Can Older Adults Accurately Perceive Their Hand Function?

TL;DR

Older adults tend to overestimate their hand function despite objective evidence of decline, highlighting the need for objective assessments in monitoring hand health.

Contribution

This study is the first to investigate whether older adults overestimate their hand function compared to objective measures.

Findings

66.7% of older adults reported their hand function as better than average, while 33.3% thought it was average.

40.7% of participants had at least one hand function measure below one standard deviation of the group mean, yet 55% of them still reported better-than-average function.

Objective measures revealed age-related declines in hand function, contrasting with self-reported perceptions.

Abstract

Older adults have been shown to overestimate their ability to control balance and locomotion (Kawasaki & Tozawa, 2020; Martin et al., 2021). Despite the importance of upper limb ability for daily living, it is unknown whether older adults also overestimate manual ability. The purpose of this study was to determine whether older adults overestimate hand function compared to objective hand measures. Perception and physical measures of hand function were assessed in 28 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 75.2 ± 3.3 y/o). An adapted survey (Logue Cook et al, 2024) assessed participants’ perceptions of hand function. Strength and dexterity of both hands were assessed using standard dynamometry, the Purdue Pegboard Test, and the Jebsen Taylor Hand Function Test. Two thirds of participants (66.7%) reported their current hand function to be better than the average for their age while one third (33.3%) thought their function was average. None of the participants reported their hand function as worse than average. However, 40.7% of individuals had at least one objective hand measure that fell below one standard deviation of the group mean. Of this group, 55% reported their hand function to be better than average. Objective measures showed age-related declines in hand function despite older adults perceiving their hand function as average or better than average. A tendency to overestimate hand function using self-reported surveys underscores the importance of including more objective measures when monitoring age-related changes in hand health.