Problems encountered in using the concepts of impairment, disability, and handicap in a health assessment survey of the elderly in Upper Normandy.

Three types of difficulty in applying the ICIDH concepts in survey assessments of the health status of the elderly are described. There are conceptual problems related to the relationship and equivalence between handicap, performance, and functional ability. There are technical difficulties in operationalizing the concepts for development of a questionnaire for use in home surveys. Finally, there are problems when attempts are made to discern the role of environment in the development of handicap.