Abstract

VILLARREAL AMARIS, Gloria  and  MONTH ARRIETA, Edalcy. Social and family, health care and functional conditions of elderly people over 65 year old in two neighborhoods of Sincelejo (Colombia). Salud, Barranquilla [online]. 2012, vol.28, n.1, pp.75-87. ISSN 0120-5552.

Objective: To determine social, family, health care and functional conditions and risk factors of elderly people over 65 year old in two neighborhoods of Sincelejo (Colombia). Materials and methods: A descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study was conducted. Multiple contacts were made with 275 elderly people over 65 years old who living in 18 different neighborhoods of Sincelejo. Through survey, socio demographic characteristics, habits and health problems were determined. We used the Gijón Social-Familiar Scale, Lawton and Brody Scale, and the Katz index to assess productivity and the Mini- mental Scale, to avaluate the cognitive state. Results: 61% of the elderly people studied are females and the average age is 75, 4 years old. 75.2% of the studied population aged 65 or older was diagnosed with hypertension, 70.5% of them with ischemic heart disease, and 68.3% with ostearticular heart disease and 51% with comorbidity, which was associated with multiple medication (76%), oral health (70.1%), lower body pains (68%) and depression (54.1%). Gijón test found that 67.7% of elderly were at high risk and have social problems, specially woman (p<0,05). Functional assessment gets worse with the aging process (p<0,05). Conclusion: The study found an elderly population at risk for social vulnerability; they have a good functional capacity that gets worse along with aging process and a high comorbidity.

Keywords : Aged; health status; comorbidity; health of the elderly.

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