R Samuel1, C S McLachlan2, U Mahadevan3, V Isaac2. 1. From the Department of Social Work, Loyola College, University of Madras, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 034, Tamil Nadu, India rsam_67@yahoo.co.uk. 2. Rural Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. 3. From the Department of Social Work, Loyola College, University of Madras, Nungambakkam, Chennai 600 034, Tamil Nadu, India.
Abstract
AIM: The purpose of the study were (i) to screen for cognitive impairment using Mini-Mental Status Examination among three old-age groups based on dwelling types in Chennai, India i.e. residential paid old-age homes, residential free (charitable) homes and home-based community-dwelling residents; (ii) secondly to investigate factors (demographic, psychological, medical and disability) associated with cognitive impairment in the these old-age; (iii) third, to investigate the independent association between cognitive impairment and health-related quality of life (QOL) among elderly across aged care dwelling types. METHODS: A total of 499 elderly from three old-age groups were interviewed in this cross-sectional study (173 elderly home-based community-dwellers, 176 paid-home and 150 free-home residents). All the participants were interviewed for their socio-economic condition, medical morbidity, self-reported worry and anxiety, disability and QOL. RESULTS: 42.7% free-home elderly residents were found to have cognitive impairment, whereas 32.4% of paid-home and 21.9% of community-dwelling elderly had cognitive impairment. The residents of free-home were less educated, had lower income and reported higher incidence of worry, anxiety, disability and poor QOL than community-dwelling or paid-home residents. Increasing age, low education, female gender, high blood pressure and disability were associated with cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment had significant negative effect on their health-related QOL (b = -0.10, P = 0.01), independent of age, gender, education, chronic illness and dwelling type. CONCLUSION: The burden of cognitive impairment was high in all aged-care dwelling types in urban India; with free charitable home residents being worse affected. Cognitive impairment was associated with disability and poor health-related QOL in these age-care settings.
AIM: The purpose of the study were (i) to screen for cognitive impairment using Mini-Mental Status Examination among three old-age groups based on dwelling types in Chennai, India i.e. residential paid old-age homes, residential free (charitable) homes and home-based community-dwelling residents; (ii) secondly to investigate factors (demographic, psychological, medical and disability) associated with cognitive impairment in the these old-age; (iii) third, to investigate the independent association between cognitive impairment and health-related quality of life (QOL) among elderly across aged care dwelling types. METHODS: A total of 499 elderly from three old-age groups were interviewed in this cross-sectional study (173 elderly home-based community-dwellers, 176 paid-home and 150 free-home residents). All the participants were interviewed for their socio-economic condition, medical morbidity, self-reported worry and anxiety, disability and QOL. RESULTS: 42.7% free-home elderly residents were found to have cognitive impairment, whereas 32.4% of paid-home and 21.9% of community-dwelling elderly had cognitive impairment. The residents of free-home were less educated, had lower income and reported higher incidence of worry, anxiety, disability and poor QOL than community-dwelling or paid-home residents. Increasing age, low education, female gender, high blood pressure and disability were associated with cognitive impairment. Cognitive impairment had significant negative effect on their health-related QOL (b = -0.10, P = 0.01), independent of age, gender, education, chronic illness and dwelling type. CONCLUSION: The burden of cognitive impairment was high in all aged-care dwelling types in urban India; with free charitable home residents being worse affected. Cognitive impairment was associated with disability and poor health-related QOL in these age-care settings.