Elderly Patients Treated in Selected Family Medicine Offices in Central Istria And Their Habits

Abstract

Objective: To describe the sociodemographic profile and investigate the habits of elderly patients attending family medicine offices in central Istria, Croatia. Patients and Methods:This was a retrospective study, conducted in central Istria. Data were obtained by a physical examination, extraction from a recorded history of disease, and using an administered questionnaire. The patients were stratified into three groups: young (65-74 years), middle (75-84 years), and older old age (>85 years). Groups were compared about education, marital status, body mass index, frequency of visits to a family doctor, and habitual activities such as physical activity, smoking, coffee and alcohol consumption, and vitamins/dietary supplements intake, and hobbies. Results: Overall, 191 patients were included, of which 93 young (49%), 82 middle (43%), and 16 older old (8%). The age groups differed statistically with regard to education and marital status. In the young old group, 53% of subjects had a high school/university diploma, in the middle old 19%, and in the oldest old 12% (p<0.001). The proportion of widowed subjects in the young, middle, and oldest old groups were 16%, 40%, and 50%, respectively (p=0.005). The most common diagnoses were cardiovascular diseases (76-83%), diabetes (41-56%), vision and hearing problems (13-31%), and musculoskeletal disorders (6-29%). The majority of responders were not physically active (59.2%) and had a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (50-77%). Conclusion: Understanding the profile of elderly patients is paramount in order to preserve the dignity of living by meeting their health, social, and economic needs.

Some aspects of the organization of medical and psychological rehabilitation of rescuers in the republic of Kazakhstan

“…Thus, the study of the health status of rescuers and the conducted survey indicate the importance of a system of early prevention and rehabilitation of rescuers. Content-analysis of legal documents, regulating the provision of medical assistance in emergency situations in Kazakhstan, showed, that there are no specialized rehabilitation teams in the country at the emergency medical care stage, as a result of which victims do not have timely access to rehabilitation (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). The rehabilitation of rescuers is carried out in the Republic of Kazakhstan by state organizations of public health within the guaranteed volume of free medical care (21,22).…”