Health Status for the Elderly Living in a Home for the Aged

Lee, Seon Yeong; Kim, Seong Won; Sun, Woo Sung; Cho, Hong Jun

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The number of the elderly living in a home for the aged is increasing as the socio-culture changes, but health management for the institutionalized elderly has been discontinuos, centered on the single treatment of the disease. The aim of this study is to collect baseline data which is for development of the health maintenance program for the elderly living in a house for the aged.
METHODS
We reviewed the journals related to the health maintenance program for the elderly. We selected the contents about health management program for the elderly. 3 domain of the contens were done. The 3 domain were physical health (interview for health habit, physical exam, clinical test), mental health (Korean version of geriatric depression scale, Korean version of mini mental status examination), assessment of functional status (katz activities of daily living, lawtons instrumental activities of living).. 158 elderly people living in a home for the aged in Seoul have been researched since August 1996. RESULT: Total subjects were 158 (men 73, women 85). The average age was 78.1(+/-7.2). The rate of smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise were 32%, 20.4%, 34.4%, each. The rate of assitive device use was 28.3%. The prevalence of sleep distur-bance, urinary incontinence were 69.7%, 17.3%. The prevalence of gait disturbance was 38.4%. The occurrence rate of falling for last 1 year was 29.6%. The prevalence of fear of falling was 57.2%. The positive rate of VDRL was 12.3%, the prevalence of anemia was 48.7%. The prevalence of degenerative arthritis, hypertension were 44.2%, 31.3%, each. The prevalence of depression, dementia were 71.3%, 56.7%, each. The rate of elderly person dependent on one and more ADL was 8.1%.
CONCLUSION
We found the health status of the elderly living in a home for the aged. On the basis of the results of the study, it is needed that continuous application of the program for management of the elderly in a home for the aged, keeping searching proper contents of examination and methods of measurement.