Abstract
PurposeWe conducted surveys in older people at a venue and in home-visits, and compared cognitive and health status between the two groups to assess their cognitive and everyday functioning. MethodsAmong 7,614 persons aged 70 years and older living in an urban area, 5,430 responded to a mail survey for sociodemographic characteristics and self-rated questionnaires including the Geriatric Depression Scale-short form (GDS-15). Of these, 1,360 agreed to attend a venue survey, and 693 agreed to take a home-visit survey. Trained nurses examined participants’ blood pressure, medical history, and daily functions using the dementia assessment sheet for community-based integrated care system (DASC-21), and tested their cognitive function using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). ResultsOf 2,053 participants, 2,020 (venue: 1,352; home-visit: 668) completed the MMSE. Median MMSE scores for the venue and home-visit groups were 28 and 26 points, respectively, with 130/1,352 (9.6%) and 205/668 (30.7%) participants below the traditional 23/24 cutoff score. The home-visit group had lower mobility, lower frequency of going out, poorer mental health, and lower independence in instrumental daily activities. Notably, 39.9% and 43.7% of the venue and home-visit groups lived alone, respectively. ConclusionsIn this sample of urban older people, the rate of cognitive decline detected using the MMSE was three times higher in the home-visit group than in the venue group. Home-visit participants were more likely to have difficulty in physical, cognitive, and everyday functioning, suggesting they have a greater need for daily living support to continue living in the community.
Published Version
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