The Elderly Nursing Core Set and the cognition of Portuguese older adults: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background The aging population and its associated health needs require specific nursing care. The aim of this study was to draw an epidemiological profile of Portuguese elderly adults attending in residential homes and day centers and to evaluate the association between the functioning and cognition of these older adults and their sociodemographic characteristics and presence of multimorbidity. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of 613 older adults. Functioning was assessed using the Elderly Nursing Core Set, and cognition was assessed using the Mini Mental State Examination. Descriptive and inferential analyses were performed. Results The mean age was 85.73 years; the majority of the participants were female (69.3 %), widowed (67.0 %) and over 85 years old (60.4 %). A total of 68.2 % of the sample presented multimorbidity. A total of 54.5 % had cognitive impairment, and the average functional profile was classified as “moderate difficulty”. Institutionalized older adults had more diseases than those who attended the day center. Women, those who were illiterate, those who were institutionalized and older adults who had diseases of the nervous system had a worse functional profile and greater cognitive impairment. Those with multimorbidity had a worse functional profile, and those without a spouse had greater cognitive impairment. Conclusions Given the functional and cognitive profile of older adults, it is necessary to adopt care practices focused on the rehabilitation/maintenance of self-care and affective relationships. This care must be provided by highly qualified professionals. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the ratio of nurses per older adult in these institutions.

Functioning and Cognition of Portuguese Older Adults Attending in Residential Homes and Day Centers: A Comparative Study

“…In another study, [13] based on the National Health Survey with Physical Examination (INSEF, for its acronym in Portuguese), the prevalence of multimorbidity in the Portuguese population was 38.3%. A study realized with older adults attending institutions for the elderly in Portugal, showed that 68.2% presented multimorbidity [14]. In turn, regarding dependence for self-care, a set of studies developed in several municipalities of the country suggests that there are approximately 110,000 people who are dependent for self-care, approximately 48,000 of whom are highly dependent [15].…”

Assessment of Functioning in Older Adults Hospitalized in Long-Term Care in Portugal: Analysis of a Big Data

“…To implement person-centered care, we consider that there are other concepts that should be introduced in the evaluation of the functioning of older adults admitted to the NNCIHC, such as communication and environmental factors, such as support from networks (family, friends, other providers), given their interference in self-care. The Elderly Nursing Core Set (ENCS) is a recently constructed and validated instrument for the Portuguese population, which is already being used in research studies ( 4 , 39 ) and addresses the concepts: self-care, learning, and mental functions, communication and social relationships. It was built using the ICF concepts and some of them coincide with those presented here.…”

“…In addition, death from chronic diseases has been increasing over time, rising from 67% of deaths worldwide in 2010 to 74% in 2019 ( 1 ). In Portugal, a recent study with people over 65 years old institutionalized or supported in day centers found that 68.2% had multimorbidity, that is, they suffered from more than one chronic disease ( 4 ). A recent study concluded, in a cross-sectional analysis, that people between 60 and 69 years old who suffer from three or more diseases fit into a complex morbidity profile, which over the years refers to those who develop a severe disability in carrying out activities of daily living and have a moderate risk of mortality ( 5 ).…”

Multidimensional Frailty and Lifestyles of Community-Dwelling Older Portuguese Adults

“…Experiencing a serious illness of a loved one was predictive of physical, psychological, and multidimensional frailty, meeting Gobbens’ multidimensional model [ 7 ] and Papathanasiou’s study [ 25 ]. Although it has long been known that a healthy lifestyle can prevent chronic diseases, disability, cognitive decline, and early death, healthy aging is not merely the absence of disease, but rather i tis highly influenced by a combination of health domains [ 57 ], making it important to independently and simultaneously analyze these factors in health promotion programs [ 58 ].…”