Abstract
The majority of old people suffer from various clinical conditions that affect health, functioning and quality of life. This research is a part of a cross-sectional, nationwide PolSenior Study that provides a comprehensive assessment of eight geriatric impairments and their co-occurrence in a representative sample (3471 participant aged 65-104 years, mean age 78.3 years) of the old adults living in the community in Poland. The participants were recruited randomly from all administrative regions of Poland by a three-stage, proportional, stratified-by-age group selection process. Eight geriatric conditions were assessed: falls, incontinences, cognitive impairment, mood disorders, vision and hearing impairments, malnutrition, and functional dependence. We showed that the most common deficits causing disability were vision and hearing impairments, and mood disorders, with more than two thirds of the participants presented at least one geriatric deficit. We showed that presence any of the analyzed conditions significantly increased the risk for co-occurrence of other examined weaknesses. The highest prevalence odds ratios were for functional dependence and, respectively: malnutrition (8.61, 95%CI: 4.70-15.80), incontinences (8.0, 95%CI:5.93-10.70), and cognitive impairment (7.22; 95%CI:5.91-8.83). We concluded that the majority of the old people living in the community present various clinical conditions that prompt disability.
Highlights
Cognitive and functional status is getting worse with age, the number of existing impairments leading to the geriatric syndromes such as delirium, falls, incontinence, functional decline, or pressure ulcers is rising as well [1]
Taking into account the complex and interactive causes of disability manifesting in old age, the authors selected some important geriatric conditions and outlined an overview of the issue of age-related impairments in the community-dwelling old adults living in Poland
The prevalence and cumulative number of the examined impairments rose with age, with the latter accounting for almost three in the oldest olds
Summary
Cognitive and functional status is getting worse with age, the number of existing impairments leading to the geriatric syndromes such as delirium, falls, incontinence, functional decline, or pressure ulcers is rising as well [1]. As noted by Chatterji and colleagues we urgently need studies evaluating of either compression or expansion of morbidity in the old adults as data assessing cumulative frequency of geriatric disorders that require comprehensive assessment, and interdisciplinary care is limited [4]. Taking into account the complex and interactive causes of disability manifesting in old age, the authors selected some important geriatric conditions and outlined an overview of the issue of age-related impairments in the community-dwelling old adults living in Poland. The aim of the analysis was to assess the prevalence and coexistence of the geriatric conditions, showed as the frequency of co-occurrence of impairments in the population of Polish older people aged 65 years and more
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