Health Status Of Elderly Persons Research Articles

Estimates Long-term Data of Multi-State Model

This study aims to obtain an estimate of transition opportunities from the health status of elderly persons. The phenomenon of changes in health status in the elderly has a chance of transition at each shift in their health status. To obtain an accurate estimate of the transition probability in a multi-status model of health status is indispensable. We estimate the four-state multi-state models from alive/healthy through out-patient sickness, in-patient sickness to death with recovery from either of the two cases of sickness will be used based on medical data elderly. The focus will be on deriving the probabilities of transition from one state to another via the forces of intensities. We then provide a method for estimating unique transition probabilities for both males and females elderly, generally behaved as expected with transition probabilities to sickness states increasing with age. Transition probabilities out of the sick state appear higher for males than females.

Self-perceived oral health among the elderly: a household-based study

Abstract Objective: to evaluate the self-perceived oral health status of elderly persons and its relation to self-care practices, the use of public oral health services, denture use, dental complaints and impact on everyday activities. Method: The 95 subjects of this quantitative, analytical and cross-sectional study were from Fortaleza, a state capital in the northeast of Brazil. They were aged 60 years or over and were mentally capacitated according to the Mini-Mental State Examination. The study parameters included gender, age group, race/ethnic background, level of schooling, household income, self-care practices, use and need for dentures, dental complaints, impact on everyday activities, access to oral health services, and access to information. The outcome parameter was self-perceived oral health. To verify the association between the study parameters and the outcome parameter, prevalence ratios were calculated and submitted to the Chi-squared test, the Fisher's exact test, the Mann-Whitney test and multivariate regression analysis. Result: self-perceived oral health was described as good/excellent significantly more often by women than by men (p=0.044). Oral health had a negative impact on everyday activities among nearly one third of the sample (n=29; 30.5%). The mean and median values of dental complaints and impact on everyday activities were significantly lower for subjects reporting good/excellent oral health than for subjects reporting poor/fair oral health. Conclusion: it is expected that these results will strengthen oral health care for elderly persons, in order to maintain their quality of life during this stage of life.

Effects of preventive long-term care on physical and psychological health status for the elderly: Evidence from a "Salon for the Elderly" in Abashiri City.

Objectives The study objectives were to clarify the characteristics of elderly persons participating in a preventive long-term care program (PLTC) organized by a local government, and to verify how the program would affect the health status of the elderly.Methods We made secondary use of individual-level micro-based longitudinal data from the "Health and Living Survey of Elderly Persons", conducted in Abashiri City of Hokkaido Prefecture in two consecutive years (2013 and 2014). The treatment group included subjects who joined the PLTC program, agreed to the survey, and responded to the survey in both 2013 and 2014. The control group included residents ≥65 years of age who were randomly chosen from a basic resident register, who had never participated in the PLTC program and had also responded to both periods of surveys. The sample size of the treatment group was 157 and that of the control group was 252. We applied a propensity-score (PS) matching method to verify the effects of PLTC programs on the health status of the elderly. The covariates were demographic and socio-economic characteristics in the baseline period (2013), such as sex, age, living arrangements, marital status, working status, monthly mean household expenditure, distance to the nearest PTLC program site (called "Fureaino-ie"), and health status such as self-rated health status, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-IC), Kessler 6 (K6), and outpatient status. The outcome was that the health status of elderly persons was the same as the above in 2014.Results From basic statistics in 2013, older women who live near to "Fureaino-ie" are more likely to join a PLTC program. The mean monthly expenditure of participants would be approximately 20,000 ¥, which tended to be lower than that of non-participants. However, for living arrangements and marital status, we did not observe statistical significance between treatment and control groups. Regarding health status in 2013, participants tended to be healthier than non-participants. PS matching results indicated that almost all the characteristics became balanced.Conclusion The PLTC program in Abashiri City would contribute to improved psychological health in the elderly. However, study observation periods are only 2 years, which might not be long enough to observe the effect of the program on physical health. Therefore, further study should be conducted for longer periods of follow-up and for intervention by specialists.

Health status of elderly persons of Antioquia, Colombia

Objective The health needs of older adults constitute challenges for health monitoring and care, resulting in increased costs. The present study therefore sought to analyze the health status of the elderly to enable targeting and intervention, in the pursuit of healthy aging for all. Method A quantitative observational cross-sectional study using a primary source was performed in 2012. A total of 4,248 adults aged over 60 years of age residing in the nine regions of Antioquia, Colombia, and the capital city were surveyed. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis was performed of statistical and epidemiological measures, based on confidence intervals and statistical tests under 5%. Results One in four individuals had a risk of depression, one in three were at risk of anxiety, eight out of ten had cognitive impairment, mainly mild, and the same proportion were at nutritional risk. The elderly persons suffered from all types of abuse, notably psychological. Conclusions Thehealth status ofelderly personsis more affectedbymental than physical healthrisks, indicatingthatpublic policy anda better distribution ofresourcesshould be aimed at seeking animprovement in qualityof life anddignified aging, differentiated byregion.

Quality of life and the health status of elderly persons: a population-based study in the central sertão of Ceará

Introduction : Healthy aging and quality of life has become a major desire of contemporary society. Understanding the profile of this population will allow the creation of more appropriate policies and actions for the promotion of health and quality of life. Objective : To map aspects related to health and quality of life as perceived by elderly residents of the city of Canindé, in the central sertão region of the state of Ceará. Method : A quantitative, cross-sectional, household-based study was performed. From a population of 5,214 elderly persons, proportional stratified sampling resulted in a sample of 372 individuals. A characterization questionnaire addressing sociodemographic characteristics and health status and the abbreviated version of WHOQOL were used. SPSS version 16.0 was used for descriptive and inferential statistics, adopting a significance level of 5%. Results : Most elderly individuals were female, married, brown skinned, aged 60 to 69 years old, with an incomplete primary education and an income of up to one minimum wage. Most of the elderly persons had attended 1-3 consultations/admissions in the last 12 months, and reported a high prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis, anxiety and cardiovascular diseases, despite describing their health and quality of life as "good". In terms of quality of life, the psychological domain had the highest, and the environmental domain had the lowest mean score. Conclusions : The prevalent diseases/comorbidities belonged to the chronic non-communicable diseases group. The environmental domain negatively influenced overall quality of life, indicating the importance of environments that provide health promotion and quality of life for elderly people from rural regions.

Oral Health Status of the Elderly at Tonga, West Region, Cameroon.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to determine the oral health status of elderly persons in Tonga, West Region of Cameroon. Methodology. This is a cross-sectional study of persons of at least 65 years, living in Tonga village, West Region of Cameroon. Results. A total of 183 persons aged between 65 and 94 years, mean age of 73 years ±7 s.d., 83 (45,4%) males, and 100 (54,6%) females participated in the study. The most represented age range was 65–74 years (60.1%); 86 (47.3%) and elders above 65 constituted 1.8% of the total population. More than a third 117 (41.4%) had visible dental plaque, 117 (48,6%) had periodontal pockets >4 mm, 153 (54,1%) had teeth with total crown destruction, 70 (38.3%) had not lost a tooth, 23 (12.6%) had lost 1 tooth, 19 (10.4%) have lost at least 2 teeth, 100 (55.7%) were partially edentulous at the maxilla and 98 (53.6%) at the mandible, 2 (1.1%) were completely edentulous at the maxilla and 3 (1.6%) at the mandible, and 3.8% had removable dentures. The mean DMF index was 6.11 and 69.4% had dental caries. Risk factors to dental caries were toothbrushing and tobacco consumption while dental plaque was associated to pocket depth of 4–6 mm. Barriers to oral health care included ignorance 47 (25.7%), financial difficulties 124 (67.8%), and distance to the nearest clinic 12 (6.5%). Conclusion. The oral status of the elderly was generally poor.

Nutritional and oral health status of an elderly population in Nairobi

To determine the nutrition and oral health status of elderly persons in Nairobi, Kenya. A cross-sectional study. Households in Dagoretti Division of Nairobi. Two hundred and eighty nine persons (29.8% males and 70.2% females) aged 45 years and above were assessed. The level of malnutrition using the mid upper arm circumference was 18.8% while by body mass index was 11.4%. Of the population assessed, 46.4% had normal nutritional status while 40.9% were overweight, with more females (48.0%) than males (25.9%) being overweight. The study established that many of the elderly persons suffered from dental problems, especially periodontitis with 89.9% having dental plaque, calculus 85.6%, gingival recession 82.5% and bleeding gums 77.4%. The decayed index missing and filled teeth, was 7.173 with 19.7% caries free, 51.9% reported tooth mobility and edentulousness was common. Under-nutrition, obesity and dental problems are issues of concern among the elderly. There is need to develop policies that will look into the nutrition and dental health of the elderly in order to improve their welfare.

SOCIOECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY IN THE HEALTH STATUS OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN A TRANSITIONAL SOCIETY, KERALA, INDIA

Kerala State in India is the most advanced in terms of demographic and epidemiological transition and has the highest proportion of elderly population. The study examines the socio-demographic correlates of health status of elderly persons in Kerala in terms of three components: perceived health status, physical mobility and morbidity level. Overall health status was measured by combining the above three components of health status. Data from the 60th National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) on Condition and Health Care of the Aged in Kerala in 2004 was used for the study. Significant socio-demographic differentials in health status were noted. While women report less morbidity, perceived well-being and physical mobility was better for men. This anomaly can be explained by variations in the components of socio-demographic factors. The findings call for urgent health care strategies for elderly persons in different socio-demographic groups in transitional Indian states like Kerala.

A Review of Approaches to Mobility Telemonitoring of the Elderly in Their Living Environment

Rapid technological advances have prompted the development of a wide range of telemonitoring systems to enable the prevention, early diagnosis and management, of chronic conditions. Remote monitoring can reduce the amount of recurring admissions to hospital, facilitate more efficient clinical visits with objective results, and may reduce the length of a hospital stay for individuals who are living at home. Telemonitoring can also be applied on a long-term basis to elderly persons to detect gradual deterioration in their health status, which may imply a reduction in their ability to live independently. Mobility is a good indicator of health status and thus by monitoring mobility, clinicians may assess the health status of elderly persons. This article reviews the architecture of health smart home, wearable, and combination systems for the remote monitoring of the mobility of elderly persons as a mechanism of assessing the health status of elderly persons while in their own living environment.

Coronal caries and restorations in an elderly population in Germany.

In an epidemiologic study, the dental health status of elderly persons in Germany was investigated. A total of 458 persons aged 60 yr and over participated in the study, with 89 persons being residents of old-people's homes. With a mean DMFS score of 87.3, the mean number of manifest caries was low (1.2) and the standard of conservative and prosthetic care high. Of a mean number of 17.75 filled surfaces, 59.6% were surfaces with crowns. Dental health is a social problem. The mean number of caries cavities was 10 times higher in institutionalized elderly persons of low social class than in non-institutionalized persons of the same age. Finally, initiatives to improve oral and dental hygiene in all age groups examined in this study are urgently required.