Sociodemographic Factors Affecting Older People's Care Dependency in Their Daily Living Environment According to Care Dependency Scale (CDS).

Grażyna Puto,Lucyna Ścisło,Marta Muszalik,Alicja Kamińska,Izabela Sowińska,Elżbieta Walewska

doi:10.3390/healthcare9020114

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the influence of sociodemographic factors on older people’s care dependency in their living environment according to the Care Dependency Scale (CDS). Methods: The research was conducted in a group of 151 older people staying in their own homes. The methods applied in the research included a sociodemographic questionnaire and scales including the Abbreviated Mental Test Score (AMTS), CDS, Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Lawton’s Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (I-ADL), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Results: Gender had a significant impact on the level of care dependency. The surveyed females obtained the medium or high level of dependency more often than males (22.4% vs. 6.1%), and the low level of dependency was significantly more frequent among men than women (p = 0.006). Moreover, the age of the respondents determined their level of care dependency. The subjects with a medium or high level of care dependency were significantly older (p = 0.001). The subjects with a low level of care dependency were more likely to be married than people with a medium/high level (p < 0.001). The level of education had a significant impact on care dependency. A higher level of education correlated with a medium/high level of dependency (p = 0.003). Conclusions: The survey results confirmed that sociodemographic factors have a significant impact on the level of care dependency. When planning care in the home environment, special attention should be paid to older women, who are more likely to lose their independence than men. These women should be given additional support.

Highlights

The assessment of the personal activities of daily living showed, in the case of the respondents with full function, a low level of care dependency measured by means of the Care Dependency Scale (CDS) compared to the respondents with a medium or high level of care dependency
A connection between the self-assessed sense of being depressed according to the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the assessed care dependency proved that the respondents with a low level of care dependency were frequently characterized by a lack of depressive moods rather than a moderate sense of depression (96.9% vs. 3.1%; p < 0.001)
The assessment of nutritional status according to the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) showed that the respondents with a medium or high care dependency according to the CDS were more likely to develop a risk of malnutrition or were already suffering from malnourishment than those belonging to the group with a good nutritional status

Summary

Introduction

Aging processes lead to involutional changes that limit the resources of body organs and raise susceptibility to chronic diseases, which generate the necessity to use medical services, and increase patients’ care dependency [1,2,3]. To assess the level of care dependency, a whole variety of high-quality, reliable, and up-to-date instruments are applied in clinical practice and in studies all over the world. The application of a reliable and effective research tool assessing care dependency will lead to more precise clinical results, as the reliability and validity coefficients are specific for a given population and depend on the frequency of the incidence of examined features

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Conclusion