Health Status Of Elderly People Research Articles

Dental status in nursing home residents with domiciliary dental care in Sweden.

To describe the dental health status of elderly people in nursing homes receiving domiciliary dental care. Case note review. Nursing homes in 8 Swedish counties. Care dependent elderly people (≥65 years). Clinical data, including the number of remaining natural teeth, missing and decayed teeth (manifest dental caries) and root remnants, recorded by dentists according to standard practices. Medical and dental risk assessments were performed. Data were available for 20,664 patients. Most were women (69.1%), with a mean age of 87.1 years (SD 7.42, range 65-109). The mean age for men was 83.5 years (SD 8.12, range 65-105). Two or more medical conditions were present in most of the population. A total of 16,210 individuals had existing teeth of whom 10,974 (67.7%) had manifest caries. The mean number of teeth with caries was 5.0 (SD 5.93) corresponding to 22.8% of existing teeth. One in four individuals were considered to have a very high risk in at least one professional dental risk assessment category. Care dependent elderly in nursing homes have very poor oral health. There is a need to focus on the oral health-related quality of life for this group of frail elderly during their final period of life.

Investigation and analysis of osteoporosis, falls, and fragility fractures in elderly people in the Beijing area: a study on the bone health status of elderly people ≥ 80years old with life self-care.

The purpose of this study is to investigate prevalence of osteoporosis, falls, and fragility fractures in this population, and analyze related factors, in order to provide a basis for standardized prevention and treatment. From August 2015 to August 2016 in Beijing City, a total of 175 elderly individuals, who were ≥ 80years old and had good self-care ability, were included into this study. The questionnaire, risk of falls, grip force, and walking speed were measured, and the Timed Up and Go test (TUG) and chair-rising test (CRT) were performed. Compared to women, men have higher rates of smoking, drinking, drinking strong tea, longer outdoor activity time, as well as larger muscle strength and pace, and lower consumption of dairy products, fall risk assessment scale (FRA) score, 25OHD, administration rates of calcium and anti-osteoporosis drugs (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with men, women had higher bone turnover markers (P1NP, β-CTx, and OC) (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) and lower levels of sex hormones (E2, T) (P < 0.01). The overall prevalence of osteoporosis was 24.6%, and this was significantly higher in women than in men (52.5 vs. 9.6%, P < 0.01). Among these subjects, 62.9% had a history of fall after 80years old, and this rate was higher in women than in men (77 vs. 55.3%, P < 0.01). The overall prevalence of fragility fractures was 25.1%, which was higher in women than in men (45.9 vs. 14.0%, P < 0.01). Risk factors included falls after age 80, high FRA score, and reduction in bone density of lumbar vertebrae 1-4, and odds ratio (OR) was 12.195, 1.339, and 0.076, respectively (P < 0.01). Anti-osteoporosis therapy was only performed on a small number of patients with fractures. The prevalences of falls, prior fracture, and low BMD were high among ≥ 80years old and under life self-care in the Beijing area. Therefore, a comprehensive approach to assessment and treatment should be promoted.

Intervention of Cardiovascular Aging for Improving the Health Status of Elderly People

Intervention of Cardiovascular Aging for Improving the Health Status of Elderly People

Investigation on health status of elderly people and related health education guidance

Investigation on health status of elderly people and related health education guidance

Effect of Oral Health Care Program on Oral Health Status of Elderly People Living in Nursing Homes: a Quasi-experimental Study.

Background:Oral health of elderly people plays a major role in their overall health and quality of life, and is an integral part of personal care.Aim:The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of implementing the oral health care program (OHCP) on oral health status of elderly people resident in nursing homes.Materials and Methods:This quasi-experimental study was carried out using a pretest-posttest design on 101 elderly people (46 in the intervention group and 55 in the control group) resident in two randomly selected nursing homes in Mashhad, Iran. In the intervention group, the OHCP was carried out by caregivers for 8 weeks. The control group received routine care. Using the oral health assessment tool, the oral health status of elderly people was assessed in both groups at three times; onset of the study, 4th, and 8th week after the start of the study.Results:The oral health status of the elderly people in both groups was not statistically significantly different at baseline, but it changed significantly at the 4th, and 8th weeks (p<.001).Conclusion:The implementation of the OHCP for elderly people resident in nursing homes may improve their oral health status after 4 weeks. It is recommended that OHCP be included in care plans of all nursing homes to improve the elderly people’s oral health status.

歯の喪失ならびに口腔機能低下が高齢者の健康状態に及ぼす影響

歯の喪失ならびに口腔機能低下が高齢者の健康状態に及ぼす影響

The Situation of the Elderly in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh due to improved quality of life the number of people over 60 years is increasing rapidly. This should be seen as an emerging challenge as the elderly will have special needs and require different care-giving services. Since Bangladesh does not have a social welfare system there will be competition for inadequate resources specially health and medical services. It is envisaged that due to more elderly population the demographic structure will undergo a slow change from the present pyramid structure. The growing trend towards nuclear family or where children live abroad will put the elderly parents in a dilemma-the financial and social support that is essential for them has not yet emerged. The nutrition and health status of elderly people depend on adequate food safe water, proper sanitation facilities and maintaining hygienic standards. To provide special medical care for the elderly there is a need to establish WHO recommended Age-Friendly Primary Health Care centers and separate wards /units are to be set up in the hospitals. To reduce vulnerability of older women there is a need to distribute assets and properties according to the law. . Our new generations have to be responsive, informed and attentive about their duties and responsibilities towards the elderly people. Taking proper care of the elderly is our ethical duty and responsibility.

Investigation on health status of elderly people in Hubei province

Objective To study the health status of the elderly in Hubei province, in order to provide the evidence for health management in the elderly. Methods A stratified cluster random sampling method was applied.60 resident families who lived there for more than half a year were randomly extracted from each villages or community in 20 pre-confirmed counties(or cities, districts)from October to November 2013.Household questionnaire survey was conducted among these families.5 self-assessment indexes for health were selected.The health status of residents was evaluated by using comprehensive health assessment, and the score ranges were from 0 to 100, with a value of 0 indicating the worst health status and 100 indicating the best.The prevalence of chronic diseases in the elderly and its related factors were analyzed. Results The total number of study people aged 60 years and above were 8 358, with 3 738 urban residents(44.7%)and 4 620 rural residents(55.3%), 4 092 males(49.0%)and 4 266 females(51.0%), and the average age was(68.5± 7.1)years.The score of health self-assessment of the elderly was(72.7±14.7). The two-week morbidity rate in the elderly was 45.7%(3 816 cases), and the prevalence rate of chronic diseases was 73.8%(6 169). Hypertension and diabetes were the major diseases in the elderly based on the analysis of two-week morbidity and chronic diseases.Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that urban-rural difference, gender, age, education level, marital status and employment status were the related factors for the two-week morbidity rate(all P<0.05). And urban-rural difference, gender, age, education level, employment status and economic status were also the related factors for the prevalence rate of chronic disease(all P<0.05). Conclusions The self-evaluation of health and chronic diseases status are not optimistic in the elderly in Hubei province, which are associated with urban-rural, social, economic and environmental factors.Thus chronic disease management strategy for the elderly should be developed based on these characteristics. Key words: Health surveys; Prevalence; Chronic disease

Self-perceived health in functionally independent older people: associated factors.

BackgroundSelf-perceived health (SPH) is a powerful indicator of the health status of elderly people. This issue has been widely studied in oldest populations considering altogether functionally independent and dependent individuals. The objective of this study was to describe SPH and to identify the main factors that have an impact on SPH in a sample of functionally independent community-dwelling older adults.MethodsFor this cross-sectional study, face-to-face interviews were carried out with non-institutionalized functionally independent older individuals in a northern region of Spain. Participants were asked: “Overall, you would say that your health is excellent, very good, good, fair or poor?”. SPH responses were grouped in two categories: good and poor. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with poor SPH.ResultsA sample of 634 individuals was studied, of whom 55 % were women. The mean age was 74.8 (SD 6.7) years. About 18 % of the respondents rated their health as poor. In the multivariate model adjusted for age and sex, reported poor health was significantly associated with polypharmacy (≥3 drugs per day) (OR: 5.76, 95 % CI: 3.60–9.18), the presence of sensory impairment (OR: 1.87, 95 % CI: 1.15–3.04), bad sleep quality (OR:1.82, 95 % CI: 1.02–3.28), a bad nutrition pattern (OR: 2.37, 95 % CI: 1.08–5.21), not engaging in cognitively stimulating activities (OR: 4.08, 95 % CI: 1.64–10.20), or group social activities (OR: 2.62, 95 % CI: 1.63–4.23).ConclusionsThe study indicates that several health and social variables are strongly related to SPH in independent community-dwelling older adults. This finding highlights the need for thorough assessment of factors related to SPH in older independent adults, this being essential to develop health-related programmes for promoting active and healthy ageing and to delay the onset of dependence in this population.

Home Care Services for Elderly People in Georgia

In recent years, health service affordability for elderly people has been significantly improved within the Georgia State Health Insurance Program, although home care services for elderly people are not envisaged in any of state health care programs. Home care services for elderly people were mainly provided by nongovernmental organizations and family members (nonformal services). The objective of a survey was to study home care services rendered by nongovernmental organizations and family members in Georgia, living conditions of elderly people dependent on home care, and cost for home care services incurred by them. For study purposes, a method of direct interviews through specially constructed questionnaires was used, covering health conditions of elderly people, period of depending on care, care needs, and costs for care services. In Georgia, home care services for elderly people are mainly provided by nongovernmental organizations. The majority of interviewees (73.1%) more often use home care services rendered by nongovernmental organizations than the services envisaged by state health care programs (26.9% of interviewees use these services). Elderly people are more dependent on the assistance provided by their relatives and they give priority to the services rendered at home, rather than to institutional care (in special clinics or retirement homes). Families make a big contribution to assisting and supporting home care services for elderly people. If needed, they represent key home care service providers in Georgia. This fact should be recognized and considered while elaborating the care policy for elderly people in Georgia.

농촌지역 보건기관 치과진료실 유무와 인근 노인의 구강보건실태 관련성

Objectives: This study was conducted to find the relationship between oral health conditions of elderly people and closures of public dental health clinics in rural areas. Methods: Oral examinations and surveys were conducted in 2011 from May 11 through November 4 on 383 seniors over 65-years and under 74 years old. Results: The results of this study were as follows: 1. The results of comparative analysis of the usage behaviors of health clinics of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics within the area showed that the usage level and frequency of public health agencies in areas with public dental clinics were high, and that the trend of influence on personal oral health conditions and improvement in prevention was high. When compared to 3 years ago, there was an 11.6 percentage point reduction in areas without public dental clinics (24.4%) compared to areas with public dental clinics (12.8%). 2. The results of comparative analysis of the oral health conditions and behaviors of subjects in relation to the closures of public dental clinics showed that the level of dental caries was high in areas with no public dental clinics, and the number of toothbrush usage and oral health supplemental product usage were shown to be high in areas with public dental clinics. Conclusion: The closures of public dental clinics were found to affect oral health behavior and conditions of elderly people in rural areas.

Current situation of the research on living conditions and health status of elderly people in Spain

To analyse the dimensions studied with respect to living and health conditions of the non-institutionalised elderly in the scientific literature in Spain. A content analysis based on secondary sources was carried out by literature searches in Pubmed and Embase in Spanish and English. The search strategies combined terms related to older people, health and/or living conditions and with Spain. All studies assessing living and/or health conditions of elderly in Spain were included. Studies analyzing a specific aspect of living or health conditions and those based on institutionalized population were excluded. A total of 14 studies were considered in the content analysis. The studies are usually local, cross-sectional and data collection is done by direct interview. Variability was observed in the aspects analysed about living and health conditions. All studies included: sociodemographic characteristics, health status and lifestyle habits. Issues related to the status of the out-of home environment are poorly analysed. This work allows knowing the dimensions prioritised in the studies carried out to date about health and living conditions in Spain. It also provides key elements for the development of future research aiming to integrate both living and health conditions of elderly population, both aspects closely related.

Development of a Wi-Fi-enabled Measurement System for a Body Conduction Sound

Solitary death of elderly people is recognized as social problem in Japan. There is a real need for a new device to monitor the health condition of elderly people. In this study, we made a health monitoring system by measuring a body conduction sound. The system consists of a measurement device and a server. The device consists of a body conduction sound sensor, a microcontroller and a Wi-Fi module. The server indicates the measurement result as a graph and derives the pulse rate from the autocorrelation result of the measurement data. The measurement data are sent to the separated server using Wireless LAN. The efficacy of the system is confirmed by the measurement of a body conduction sound.

Development of a Wi-Fi-enabled Measurement System for a Body Conduction Sound

Solitary death of elderly people is recognized as social problem in Japan. There is a real need for a new device to monitor the health condition of elderly people. In this study, we made a health monitoring system by measuring a body conduction sound. The system consists of a measurement device and a server. The device consists of a body conduction sound sensor, a microcontroller and a Wi-Fi module. The server indicates the measurement result as a graph and derives the pulse rate from the autocorrelation result of the measurement data. The measurement data are sent to the separated server using Wireless LAN. The efficacy of the system is confirmed by the measurement of a body conduction sound.

Living and health conditions of elderly people over 80

This article proposes to describe demographic data and health conditions of elderly people at age 80 or more. Quantitative-descriptive study of 95 elderlies from five units of the Family Health Strategy in the period from September to December 2013, using script with general data of the living conditions and health, including validated scales in geriatrics and gerontology. The average age was 85.4 years. There was a predominance of women. Most were widowers with family income, more frequently between 2 or 3 minimum wages and economic participation is for means of sharing responsibility. They present dependency for many of Daily Living Instrumental Activities and, on average, reported 2.2 diseases. Fear of falling, decreased vision and hearing as well as pain in different body regions are reported. It appears that they have more intense needs than the elderly in general, requiring new ways of organizing their health care.

Physical Function, Cognitive Function, and Depressive Symptoms in Elderly Women with Dysmobility Syndrome

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between physical and cognitive functions and depressive symptoms in elderly women with dysmobility syndrome. For this study, data on 6,070 elderly women were used and 43 of these women had dysmobility syndrome. The tools used in this study were the Physical Functioning (PF) Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination-Korean Version (MMSE-K), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)-short form. The level of physical function was significantly lower in the dysmobility syndrome group than in the normal group equivalents. Depressive symptoms were significantly negatively correlated with physical function and each of its sub-categories in the dysmobility syndrome group. Multiple regression analysis results indicated that the only predictor of depressive symptoms among elderly women with dysmobility syndrome was PF 5 (the muscle strength of the upper limbs, β = -3.031, P = 0.004), which explained 41.4% of the variance in depressive symptoms (F = 6.985, P < 0.001). The analysis of newly suggested dysmobility syndrome-related factors is expected to help assess health status of elderly people

Factors determining the use of social support services among elderly people living in a city environment in Poland.

Ageing populations entail important social issues. The population of Lodz is characterised by the highest ageing ratio in Poland (17.2% people aged 65 or above). The aim of our study was to present factors determining the use of social support services in the subpopulation of elderly people in a city environment. The study, conducted between 2011 and 2012 with the use of a survey questionnaire, included 466 respondents aged 65 or older, who were looked after by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre, Lodz-Polesie. The response rate was 93.2%. Most beneficiaries were women (77.9%). The respondents were mostly widows (73.9% of women) or widowers (43.7% of men). Most respondents applied for nursing services (79.7%), while 28.3% asked for financial help. In Lodz as a whole, these percentages were 81.0% and 19.0%. A chronic disease was the most common cause of the application for help (73.4%). In 4.1% of applicants, the cause was a low income per capita. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the variables which contributed to receiving financial support included being a man, aged 65-69years, being single and receiving a monthly salary per capita below 500.0 PLN (Polish New Zlotys). The variables which contributed to receiving social care service in the form of nursing services included being a woman, aged 85years or older, receiving a monthly salary per capita between 1001.0 and 1500.0 PLN, suffering from a chronic disease, which was a reason for applying for social support service, a result on the Activities of Daily Living scale confirming disability and a very negative self-evaluation of health. The results of the study have shown that the poor health condition of elderly people is the most frequent reason for applying for social services. Identifying reasons for applying for social care by elderly people might facilitate the introduction of workable solutions in the social and healthcare policy.

Health-related quality of life and related factors among elderly people in Jinzhou, China: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesWith rapid reductions in fertility and mortality, China has to face the dramatic ageing of its population. Although an ageing population is associated with greater life expectancy, and reflects a huge improvement in people's living standards and health care services, it also means that more elderly people suffer from non-communicable diseases (NCDs). The prolonged course of illness and disability associated with chronic diseases may significantly reduce health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly people. The aims of this study were to evaluate HRQoL of elderly people living in Jinzhou, and to identify the predictors of HRQoL. Study designCross-sectional study with stratified sampling. MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1015 elderly people (≥60 years) living in the three administrative regions (Linghe, Guta and Taihe) of Jinzhou. A demographic questionnaire and Short Form-36 were employed to collect demographic variables and evaluate HRQoL, respectively. Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis was performed to estimate factors related to HRQoL of the subjects. ResultsLowest HRQoL scores were obtained in the following dimensions: general health (65.44), role-emotional (69.74) and role-physical (70.20). Multiple stepwise regression showed that factors associated with HRQoL of elderly people were medical health checks, age, socio-economic status, NCDs, and various unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, excessive drinking and insufficient exercise. ConclusionsThis study described overall HRQoL of elderly people in Jinzhou, and found that medical health checks, age, socio-economic status, NCDs, smoking, excessive drinking and insufficient exercise affected HRQoL. These findings will provide a basis for recommendations regarding health management of elderly people, and will also help local government to devise appropriate health intervention strategies for promoting the health status of elderly people in this region.

Bayesian Estimation of Long-Term Health Consequences for Obese and Normal-Weight Elderly People

Summary Obesity is a rapidly growing public health problem even among the elderly. Understanding the disabling consequences of obesity in the elderly will help us to design better effective intervention management guidelines for the elderly obese. To examine the long-term health consequences of the obese elderly, we present a joint model consisting of two bivariate ordered responses observed at successive time points. The bivariate ordered response model corresponds to the subject's self-reporting health status outcomes including self-rated health and functional status. Although the joint model that we propose is generally suited for use in health and disease research, where the ordered value responses are observed at successive time points, we further extend it by addressing some of the challenges by incorporating the semiparametric features in the ordinal logistic model, by modelling the underlying latent states of health that are associated with self-rated health, by jointly modelling the bivariate ordinal outcomes to mitigate the variability of the single response and by accounting for the non-ignorable missing data due to different reasons through a multinomial logit model. The motivating data were obtained from the Second Longitudinal Study of Aging, which are longitudinal survey data from 1994–2000 providing various useful information on the health status of elderly people. Parameter estimation of our joint model was performed in a Bayesian framework via Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Analytical results demonstrate the difference in longitudinal patterns of the health outcomes between the two weight groups, validating our hypothesis that different management strategies for the obese elderly should be employed.

A Multi-Agent Intelligent System for Monitoring Health Conditions of Elderly People

A Multi-Agent Intelligent System for Monitoring Health Conditions of Elderly People