S A Margolis1, R L Reed. 1. United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. margolis@uaeu.ac.ae
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the rate of institutionalization and health status of nursing home (NH) type patients living in the Middle East. This study was set in the Al-Ain Medical District, a geographically discrete region of the United Arab Emirates, a country with a developing economy located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. NH-type patients were defined as people aged 60 years and older who were admitted to a hospital or a long-term institutionalized setting for at least 6 weeks and with no evidence of an expectation of discharge at the time of the evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical, functional, cognitive, and nutritional status of NH-type patients living in a defined community within a developing country. METHOD: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: All NH-type patients were identified, and all were included in this study (n = 47, 100% participation rate). All were located within three public institutions, none of which was a dedicated NH facility. The rate of institutionalization was 7.0-14.0 per 1,000 people aged 65 or older. The age distribution was 30% (60-74 years), 49% (75-84 years), and 21% (85+ years). The length of stay was 3.8 years. The female:male ratio was 1.6. All except 1 had a neurological disorder, and 89% had dementia. The cognitive deficits were severe with only 61% alert, 41% able to speak, 17% orientated in place, and 15% orientated in time. The functional status was also poor: 98% received assistance with all instrumental activities of daily living, 85% received assistance with five activities of daily living, and 94% were bed bound. The nutritional status was also impaired with a mean body weight of 45 +/- 14 kg and a mean albumin level of 3.1 +/- 0.6 g/dl. When compared with the USA data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the study population was younger, had a longer length of stay, a lower female:male ratio, a higher rate of neurological diseases and dementia, and were far more dependent and disoriented. The rate of institutionalization was one sixth to one third of that in the USA. CONCLUSION: From these data we concluded that this region has a distinctly different population of institutionalized older people who demonstrate greater impairments in all domains of health status. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the rate of institutionalization and health status of nursing home (NH) type patients living in the Middle East. This study was set in the Al-Ain Medical District, a geographically discrete region of the United Arab Emirates, a country with a developing economy located on the shores of the Arabian Gulf. NH-typepatients were defined as people aged 60 years and older who were admitted to a hospital or a long-term institutionalized setting for at least 6 weeks and with no evidence of an expectation of discharge at the time of the evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the clinical, functional, cognitive, and nutritional status of NH-typepatients living in a defined community within a developing country. METHOD: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: All NH-typepatients were identified, and all were included in this study (n = 47, 100% participation rate). All were located within three public institutions, none of which was a dedicated NH facility. The rate of institutionalization was 7.0-14.0 per 1,000 people aged 65 or older. The age distribution was 30% (60-74 years), 49% (75-84 years), and 21% (85+ years). The length of stay was 3.8 years. The female:male ratio was 1.6. All except 1 had a neurological disorder, and 89% had dementia. The cognitive deficits were severe with only 61% alert, 41% able to speak, 17% orientated in place, and 15% orientated in time. The functional status was also poor: 98% received assistance with all instrumental activities of daily living, 85% received assistance with five activities of daily living, and 94% were bed bound. The nutritional status was also impaired with a mean body weight of 45 +/- 14 kg and a mean albumin level of 3.1 +/- 0.6 g/dl. When compared with the USA data from the National Center for Health Statistics, the study population was younger, had a longer length of stay, a lower female:male ratio, a higher rate of neurological diseases and dementia, and were far more dependent and disoriented. The rate of institutionalization was one sixth to one third of that in the USA. CONCLUSION: From these data we concluded that this region has a distinctly different population of institutionalized older people who demonstrate greater impairments in all domains of health status. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel
Authors: Hamed Al-Sinawi; Mohammed Al-Alawi; Rehab Al-Lawati; Ahmed Al-Harrasi; Mohammed Al-Shafaee; Samir Al-Adawi Journal: Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J Date: 2012-04-09