Improvement in activities of daily living in elderly following treatment for post‐bereavement depression

OBJECTIVE: To determine if elderly bereaved depressed subjects display difficulty with activities of daily living (ADL) and if their ADL difficulty improves with psychopharmacologic intervention. METHOD: The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), an ADL assessment measuring ADL motor and ADL process skills, was administered to a pilot sample of elderly persons with post-bereavement depression prior to psychopharmacologic intervention and subsequently during treatment response. RESULTS: In the pretreatment phase, subjects displayed difficulty with ADL motor and ADL process skills that significantly improved during the treatment response phase. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that elderly bereaved depressed individuals demonstrated ADL difficulty that responds positively to psychopharmacologic intervention.