Abstract
Sheltered housing for the elderly is an intermediate type
of housing, between living in ones own home and living
in an institution. The aim of this study was to describe the changes
in physical, cognitive and psychological abilities among the elderly
living in sheltered housing during a two-year follow-up period.
In this study psychological abilities were represented by depressive
symptoms. The changes in the abilities of the elderly people living
in sheltered housing were compared with the corresponding changes
among the elderly living in their own homes. Furthermore, the associated factors
and the predictors of the decline in physical and cognitive abilities,
as well as the depressive symptoms were examined. The control group
consisted of elderly people who were matched with those living in
sheltered housing in regard to age, sex, coping with activities
of daily living and depressive symptoms. The data of this study
were collected among elderly people living in 20 units of sheltered
housing in Finland in 1994 and 1996. 725 residents were interviewed
and 340 re-interviewed after two years. Cognitive capacity was assessed
with the help of the Mini-Mental Examination test (MMSE). Depressive
symptoms were assessed using the shortened version of the Zung Self-rating
Depression Scale (ZSDS).
The results showed that the elderly living in sheltered housing
were widows or widowers and lived alone more often than the home-dwelling
elderly. They perceived their health as poorer, had less contacts
with other people and had fewer hobbies than the elderly living
at home. Nevertheless, they felt less lonely and were more satisfied
with their lives than those living at home. During the two-year follow-up
period the decline in the functional capacity of the elderly living
in sheltered housing did not essentially differ from the corresponding
change among the home-dwelling elderly. The decline in physical
and psychological abilities among the elderly living in sheltered
housing was similar to the decline among those living at home. Even
if the decline in cognitive abilities among the elderly living in
sheltered housing was more rapid than the change among the home-dwelling
elderly, the difference between the groups was slight. Living in
sheltered housing appeared to have neither a negative nor a positive
effect on the functional capacity of the elderly.
The predictors of the physical decline among the elderly living
in sheltered housing were a high age, poor physical abilities at
baseline, a high number of depressive symptoms, the use of medication and
a low number of hobbies. The predictors of the physical decline
among the home-dwelling elderly were the female sex, a high age,
poor physical abilities at baseline, a high number of depressive symptoms,
health perceived as poor and low social participation. The predictors
of the decline in cognitive abilities among the elderly living in
sheltered housing included a high age, poor cognitive abilities
at baseline, poor education, dissatisfaction with life and health
perceived as good. Among the home-dwelling elderly the predictors
of the decline in cognitive abilities were poor cognitive abilities
at baseline and a low number of hobbies. Among the elderly living
in sheltered housing the predictors of depressive symptoms included
a high number of depressive symptoms at baseline, poor cognitive
abilities, health perceived as poor, a high number of feelings of
loneliness, a low number of visits paid to other people and high
education. Among the home-dwelling elderly the predictors of depressive
symptoms were a high number of depressive symptoms at baseline and
a high age.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:oulo.fi/oai:oulu.fi:isbn951-42-5458-9 |
| Date | 17 November 1999 |
| Creators | Karjalainen, E. (Elisa) |
| Publisher | University of Oulu |
| Source Sets | University of Oulu |
| Language | Finnish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess, © University of Oulu, 1999 |
| Relation | info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/pissn/0355-3221, info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/eissn/1796-2234 |
Page generated in 0.0021 seconds