Chronic pain, depression symptoms and daily living independency level among geriatrics in nursing home

Abstract

SummaryObjectives: The aim of this study was to investigate pain, depression and independence in activities of daily living in geriatric residents of nursing homes, as well as to evaluate the relationship between these parameters. Methods: 186 nursing home residents, aged 65 to 90 years, were enrolled in the study. Their socio-demographic features, depression levels, pain levels and independence in activities of daily living were evaluated using a socio-demographic assessment form, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Index (NEADL), respectively. For statistical analyses, participants were divided into groups with and without chronic pain. Results:The main finding of this study was that 55.9% of the participants reported chronic pain, and these participants had significantly higher GDS (p=0.001) and lower NEADL scores (p=0.01) than those who reported no chronic pain. We found a significant correlation between VAS and GDS (r=0.47, p=0.001), VAS and NEADL (r=-0.30, p=0.001), and GDS and NEADL scores (r=-0.50, p=0.001). Female gender (p=0.001), number of children (p=0.005), number of chronic diseases (p=0.009), and GDS score (p=0.001) were found to affect chronic pain in multivariate model. Conclusion: Investigation of pain, presence of depression, and independence in activities of daily living is important in determining the necessary measures to be adopted for promoting the health and well-being of the geriatric population.

Characteristics and Trends of Chronic Pain Among Chinese Middle Aged and Elderly People in the Past Decades: Based on China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study

“…This study focused on the characteristics and trends of chronic pain among middle aged and elderly people in China. It showed that 30.13% of the middle aged and elderly Chinese people suffered from chronic body pain, which was consistent with pain prevalence in previous studies, usually between 28.9% and 59.3% [13].…”

Sociodemographic profile, family aspects, perception of health, functional capacity and depression in institutionalized elderly persons from the north coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

“…Other health complaints reported by institutionalized elderly people from the north coast of Rio Grande do Sul were difficulty walking and vision problems, which are related to the independence and autonomy of functional capacity. The investigation of pain, the presence of depression and independence in activities of daily living are fundamental to determining the measures necessary to promote the health and well-being of the geriatric population 31 .…”

Tele-health-care in the elderly living in nursing home: the first Sicilian multimodal approach

“…To this end, wearable monitoring technology and its integration into tele-health systems is necessary. Tele-consultation appears convenient for patients unable to be moved around, either because they are in a closed institution (a geriatric hospital, protect contest, a prison or psychiatric ward for example) or because they live in areas difficult to reach (namely rural areas) [13][14][15]. Moreover, growing evidence is demonstrating that, among the various advantages provided by tele-health systems in the elderly, behavioral improvement may have a pivotal role [6].…”