People in their 90s tend to lead active, independent lives with surprisingly little help from caregivers, a UC Irvine College of Medicine study has found.

The study, conducted on seniors living at the Leisure World retirement community in Laguna Woods, Calif., provides new insight into the causes of disability among people in their 90s, currently the nation's fastest-growing age group. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Claudia Kawas, professor of neurology, Karen Shore and Allison Gay--researchers at UCI--found that less than 25 percent of the nonagenarians in the study required a daily or live-in helper. Of those who did, the need involved help with walking.

"While this was a small study of a single retirement community, it does help us determine what kind of care is needed for people in their 90s. The most common need for people this age was help with walking," Kawas said. "In addition, this study may also show us how they were able to successfully age."

The researchers found that less than 23 percent of 334 people surveyed used a daily or live-in caretaker. Of those aged 90 to 94, 17 percent used a caretaker; 31 percent of those aged 95 to 98 relied on one; and 44 percent of those who were at least 99 years old used a caretaker. Of those dependent on a daily caretaker, nearly half needed help with walking by using a cane, walker or wheelchair. About 85 percent of the nonagenarians reported a fear of falling and hurting themselves, while only 40 percent actually had a fall in the last year. Despite the need for mobility help, about 57 percent of those studied drove a car every day.

Most of the study participants lived alone, and 67 percent were women. About 66 percent had at least some college education and lived in an above-average socioeconomic status. About 40 percent reported having an alcoholic drink daily, but only 3 percent smoked.

"We saw a remarkable degree of independence for people in this age group," Kawas said. "We would want to study larger, more diverse groups of people before we can draw any broad conclusions about the general health of 90-year-olds."

Kawas is known for her clinical work and research to better understand how the brain changes as we grow older. The study at Leisure World is part of a long-term effort to understand these changes.