An inquisitive exploration on perceived dysphagia, cognition and health-related quality of life in geriatrics

Abstract

The increasing aging population worldwide is one of the main issues of today. According to the 2011 census, there were 103 million senior citizen i.e about 8.6% of the India’s population. According to data from the U. N Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the proportion of people over 60 will increase from 7.5% in 2010 to 11.1% in 2025. The NSSO 2002 report, the old population is expected to increase to 158.7 million by 2025, rising at a rate that is roughly twice as fast as the general population associated with Perceived Dysphagia, Cognition and Health-Related Quality of Life in Geriatrics populations.Dysphagia is becomes an important common problem for the geriatric population. While Presbyphagia is a term that refers to the distinctive age-related changes that occur in the swallowing mechanism of otherwise healthy older adults. It is well defined that in acutely ill elderly populations, the prevalence and quality-of-life changes associated with dysphagia remain unstable poor health conditions. The present study attempt “To investigate an Inquisitive Exploration on Perceived Dysphagia, Cognition and Health-Related Quality of Life in Geriatrics”.A total of 300 participants were included in the study. The participants within the study were all inhabitants of Pondicherry. The individual with geriatric inclusion was 70 years old and above at the time of participation. Two validated questionnaires were used namely the M.D. Anderson Dysphagia Inventory (MDADI) and the general health Short Form-12 survey (SF-12v2) was administered to assess the impact of dysphagia-age related aspects on overall health. Both the questionnaires were self-administered and widely used in assessing cognitive function among the elderly, it includes orientation, attention, memory, language, and visuospatial skills.The study outcome concluded that there is a relatively high prevalence of dysphagia in the community-based geriatric population; significant quality-of-life impairment is a frequent finding. General health measures do not appear to be sensitive to swallowing-related quality of life but finally, individuals may inaccurately ascribe swallowing problems to normal aging, supporting the role of community education about dysphagia in the elderly.