We compared the levels of disability between the elderly admitted to an institution and those cared for at home. Of the 74 elderly people in this study, 56 were institutionalized and 18 were living at home. The Clifton Assessment Procedure for the Elderly (CAPE) was used to assess and compare the behavioural disabilities between the two groups. In addition to their younger age, the home-cared elderly were less incontinent, more social, better communicators and less confused than the institutionalized group, despite the fact that they had more physical disabilities with regard to bathing and walking.