Assessment of poor functional status and its predictors among the elderly in a rural area of West Bengal

Abstract

Context:Functional ability considered a proxy for healthy aging, not only related to mental and physical health but it also determines social well-being. Eliciting the determinants of functionality components among the elderly will assist in evolving with appropriate plans at both domiciliary and facility level to eliminate their sufferings and disabilities.Aim:The aim of this study is to find out the magnitude of poor functional status among the elderly and its predictors.Materials and Methods:This is a community-based cross-sectional study conducted among 246 geriatric people in a rural area of West Bengal from August 2017 to December 2017; data were analyzed using the SPSS software (version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc.). Logistic regression analysis was performed to find out the factors associated with poor functional status (activities of daily living [ADL] and instrumental ADL [IADL]).Results:The study concluded that 32.4% and 59.3% were dependent for basic ADL and IADL, respectively. Binary logistics showed people aged >70 years, female gender, less than primary level education, widowed/separated, who lived in the joint family, poorest percentile of economic status, who were depressed and who suffered from multimorbidity had increased odds of dependency for ADL and IADL. In multivariate logit regression, age >70 years and depression remained significant for ADL; in addition, marital status, education, and family type remained significant for IADL.Conclusion:There should be a provision for community-based comprehensive geriatric health and disability assessment, as it enables older people to avert the illness at the early stage, to delay the onset of disabling diseases. This will ensure their participation in the upliftment of the society, and they thus will be less dependent on their progeny.

The impact of near visual impairment on instrumental activities of daily living among community-dwelling older adults in Selangor

“…Our study suggests that age was a significant predictor of IADL score, which agrees with previous findings [ 13 , 41 ]. Aging is associated with generalized deterioration of body organs and systems, lowering effectiveness of physiological functions, which lead to a greater risk for various chronic disease and inadaptability among elderly.…”

Prevalence and Determinants of Activity of Daily Living and Instrumental Activity of Daily Living Among Elderly in India

“…Female elderly were more likely to have the risk of ADL and IADL limitation than male elderly. Previous studies are in line with the nding of this study [1,[27][28][29][30]. Studies worldwide have also shown that the female gender is one of the risk factors for disability in old age [31][32].…”

“…Studies worldwide have also shown that the female gender is one of the risk factors for disability in old age [31][32]. Female elderly are still neglected in terms of care with a minuscule focus on their health; it is due to gendersegregated behavioural activities in our society that makes female more vulnerable than male [30]. Researchers feel that gender discrimination in a male-dominated society like India makes females more vulnerable to the risk of disabilities [29].…”

Assessment of Dependency in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and its Predictors: A Cross-Sectional Study among the Elderly Rural Population in a Sub-Himalayan UT of India

“…Female elderly were more likely to have the risk of ADL limitation than male elderly, in the present research, which was supported by prior research. [ 9 20 21 ] Gender inequality makes females more vulnerable to the danger of being disabled in a male-dominated society like India. Further, Indian females are more inclined to overlook their health and do not seek suitable medical attention at the right time.…”