Epidemiological Characteristics of Frailty and Ageing: Case Study of Elderly Hospice Care Sites in Burundi

Abstract

Frailty and ageing are bound together, and frailty is linked with reduced capacity and low ability to survive adverse health outcomes. While ageing is glowing globally, in Burundi, a lot has been done to protect and improving the lives of old people, however, multiple challenges persist and limit them from benefiting from their human rights. We, therefore, thought to assess for factors influencing their quality of life, and then to discuss about measures to be taken to ensure ageing in good health. A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in three hospice care sites in Burundi and 57 participants were interviewed using a questionnaire between 16 February and 28th March 2022. Data were analyzed using the Computer Software Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS 20.0). The relationship was considered significant when the P-value was less than the level of significance (<0.05) at 95% confidence interval. The research found that social status is linked with physical frail (p=0.029), and marital status was associated with the apparition of physical signs of frailty (p=0.005); In addition, 47.32 % with the underlining condition were without medication, 90% attended to a clinic 2 times and plus while 28.07% were admitted, 50.87% complained about the limited access to medicine and medical care and 61.40% complained about the variety and the quality of food. These factors can impact ageing in good health, and we recommend that comprehensive support for elderly people be in place and future research compare home-based support and support from hospice care. Keywords: Access, Ageing, Frailty, Healthcare, Support.