Very-Old Rural Adults: Functional Status and Social Support

Abstract

This 20-year follow-up study examined the physical, psychological, and social outcomes, and social supports of 49 survivors of an original sample of 418 rural adults who were aged 65 years and older in 1976. The majority of adults lived alone but received regular assistance. Families, especially adult children, were their primary social supports. Very few formal supports were used. Psychological well-being among the very-old was good as expressed through life satisfaction and morale, despite multiple health problems and moderate levels of dependence on others for activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living. Both the cross-sectional and the longitudinal data from this study support the need to rethink issues of social support, independence, and family relationships in very-old age.

A Comparison of Rural and Urban Older Adults in Iowa on Specific Markers of Successful Aging

“…A single item measure of health status was used to determine an individual's perception of his or her health (How would you rate your overall health at the present time? ; Cutler & Hendricks, 2000;Kivett, Stevenson, & Zwane, 2000;Krause, 1987Krause, , 1990Lefrancois, Leclerc, & Poulin, 1998;Willits & Crider, 1988). Respondents rated how they view their health from very poor/poor (1) to very good (4).…”

Self-reported activities of daily living and performance-based functional ability: a study of congruence among the oldest old

“…Several studies have found associations between objective health measures, such as number of illnesses and/or number of prescription medications and subjective perception of health (e.g., Bardage et al 2005;McCamish-Svensson et al 1999). Other investigators, however, have observed that many older individuals who suffer from several chronic diseases and impairments still estimate their health as good or even excellent (Berg et al 2009;Dening et al 1998;Kivett et al 2000;von Heideken Wågert et al 2006). This discrepancy suggests that they base their appraisals of health on other factors than just specific symptoms and limitations.…”

Factores de riesgo de la dependencia funcional en las personas mayores chilenas y consecuencias en el cuidado informal

“…El haber alcanzado un nivel educacional mayor se asocia a una menor probabilidad de presentar dependencia funcional aun al controlar por edad y salud, lo que se explicaría tanto por su relación con mayores ingresos que permiten mejor acceso a atención médica y servicios sanitarios, como a factores cognitivos que contribuirían a un mejor enfrentamiento del deterioro propio de la vejez (Duba, Rajkumar, Prince et al 2012;Fujiwara, Yoshida, Amano et al 2008;Kivett, Stevenson y Zwane 2000;Nguyen, Couture, Alvarado et al 2008). Esto es particularmente relevante para el contexto del país, donde en los últimos años se ha ampliado significativamente la cobertura educacional a nivel nacional, entendiendo que la educación tiene un valor intrínseco más allá de su relación con el acceso a una mejor posición socioeconómica en la vida activa, vinculado a recursos cognitivos que reforzarían estilos de vida saludables y por tanto protegiendo contra diversos componentes del síndrome de fragilidad en la vejez (Herrera, Barros y Fernández 2013).…”

“…Un mayor nivel de ingresos se vincula a una mayor posibilidad de acceder a tratamientos médicos y de rehabilitación (EDE FUNDAZIOA 2009), además de estar asociado a un mayor nivel educacional, que entrega recursos cognitivos para enfrentar el envejecimiento de mejor manera (Fujiwara, Yoshida, Amano et al 2008;Kivett, Stevenson y Zwane 2000), y por tanto prepararse de forma adecuada para prevenir situaciones de dependencia funcional a través del mantenimiento de hábitos de salud adecuados, entre otras cosas (Duba, Rajkumar, Prince et al 2012).…”