Detecting Self-Neglect: A Comparative Study of Indicators and Risk Factors in a Spanish Population

Abstract

Objective: To provide information relevant for detecting potential self-neglecting elders in a Spanish population. Method: This study analyzed the records of 269 social services clients. They were classified in three groups: presumed adequate treatment (AT), at increased risk of abuse (RA), and at increased risk of self-neglect (SN). Social service professionals assessed these cases. Results: Elders at SN presented greater problems in terms of their personal hygiene and appearance, their living conditions, and their ability to look after themselves, to attend to their own health, to realistically assess their situation, and to accept help from others. Variables used to classify the participants correctly predicted 91.1% of the AT cases. However, they produced incorrect predictions in the other two groups. Discussion: These results have important implications for detecting self-neglect, but they need to be confirmed with more representative population samples.

Demographic correlates of oral hygiene among stroke survivors undergoing rehabilitation

“…This finding is consistent with another study where older stroke survivors were reported to show a poor state of oral health. 20 There was no significant gender relationship reflected in the oral hygiene of stroke survivors, contrary to findings among healthy individuals where gender was found to be a major determinant of oral hygiene status, with females having the better record. 21 However, a previous study demonstrated that gender was not associated with utilization of oral health services (such as dental visitation) among healthy Nigerian adults.…”

Factors related to complex care needs of older adults in community‐based integrated care centers in Japan: A cross‐sectional study

“…Refusing healthcare and social service is a characteristic of self-neglect associated with an increased risk of mortality and damaging one's health and well-being (Dong, 2017). Older adults with self-neglect lack the social support that they need (Touza & Prado, 2019). Additionally, social isolation could be a risk for morbidity and mortality of older adults (Fakoya et al, 2020).…”

Nurses' Perceptions of Factors Influencing Elder Self-neglect: A Qualitative Study

“…Selfneglect is a chronic and hidden health problem threatening older people's health and safety which has been increasingly on the public radar. Self-neglect has widely been defined as "The inability (intentional or nonintentional) to maintain socially and culturally accepted standards of self-care" [1]. Self-neglect in older adults, or elder self-neglect, is commonly believed to be a behavior profile of an elderly person, manifesting as refusal or failure to provide himself/herself with adequate food, water, clothing, shelter, personal hygiene, medication (when indicated), safety precautions, and financial management [2,3].…”

“…Elder selfneglect also contributes to poor quality of life and is accompanied by subsequent caregiver neglect, financial exploitation, and multiple forms of elder abuse [9,10]. What is more, self-neglect has a profound impact on the families, neighbors, health-care providers, and surroundings of the elderly [1,11]. For instance, the messy living conditions of elder self-neglecters may attract disease-carrying rats and flies, which potentially presents a public health hazard.…”

“…Elder self-neglect is a complex phenomenon associated with a series of physical, psychological, and sociological factors. Multiple quantitative studies on elder self-neglect revealed numerous contributors to elder self-neglect, including advanced age, physical and cognitive function impairment, chronic diseases, pain, frailty, depression, living alone, lower education levels, poverty, lack of family/social support, and neighborhood disorder [1,3,8,18,19]. Besides these, an observational study of older people deemed selfneglectful by senior caseworkers indicated that early life experiences and lifestyle, distrust, and personality traits might also be associated with elder self-neglect [20].…”