Abstract
This study compared the Functionality of Institutionalized elderly persons and that of the elderly persons living with their family and or community members using the Modified Barthel Index. Two hundred and seventy elderly men and women who met the inclusion criteria were sampled, 135 from 4 Institutions namely Mji wa Huruma, Nyumba ya Wazee Ruaraka, Kariobangi Cheshire home and Mother Teresa in Huruma and 135 from Gumba, Kariobangi, Huruma and Kawangware divisions. Data were coded and entered using EPI Info version 9 and were analyzed using SPSS version 17. There were more totally dependent elderly at Institutions (13.6%), compared to 3% who were Non-institutionalized. The majority of those who were able to independently go in and out of their house and in and out of bed or wheel chair were living in the Institutions of the elderly. There were no gender differences in performing ADLs. More men than women were found to have pressure sores and bed sores. The study will reference for similar studies in Kenya and other parts of the world and prompt tertiary institutions of learning to design new training programs and review existing programs to address the Functionality needs of the growing population of Elderly persons.
Highlights
The population of older persons is increasing at a very rapid rate, all over in the world
One hundred and thirty five (50%) of the participants were living in noninstitutions whereas 135 (50%) were living in institutions of the elderly (Table 1)
According to the National Council for Population and Development, the life expectancy of all the elderly persons has been rising for females, with a woman who reaches the age of 55 expecting to live for another 24 years
Summary
The population of older persons is increasing at a very rapid rate, all over in the world. In Africa, the population of older persons, 60 years and above is currently estimated to be 42 million and is projected to reach between 205 to 212 million by the year 2050. Degenerative conditions and diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers, joint and back pains tend to set in [2]. These conditions often lead to impaired mobility, degeneration and deterioration of the human systems especially the Musco-skeletal system [3]. According to Leveille et al, 1999, a high number of older people in most parts of the world live sedentary lives. Sedentary living leads to loss of muscle function and physical impairment [4]
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