| Budget Amount *help |
¥1,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,900,000)
Fiscal Year 1992: ¥800,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000)
Fiscal Year 1991: ¥1,100,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000)
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| Research Abstract |
The assessment of mental senility of the elderly by their relatives who have taken care of them was developed and Practiced.
1. As a pilot study, we interviewed their relatives about health condition including dependency in care of 329 bedridden geriatric patients at home aged over 65 years old, living at the districts of Y Health Center in Wakayama Prefecture. 33.4% of them have lost orientation for time, 15.8% for place and 14.0% for person. Various behavioral problems or pscychiatric symptoms were frequently present, such as lack of personal sanitization, wandering, agressiveness, nocturnal habits.
2. By the method, 1405 elderly persons' health condition, dependency in care and their intelligency and dementia were assessed by their relatives in Kainan City, Wakayam Prefecture. 1104 responses (78.6%) were available. 30 persons (2.7%) were classified into the stage "mild dementia and in need of occasional care", 7(2.7%) were "manifest dementia and in need of continual care" and 3 (0.3%) were " complete dementia and incommunicable". In many cases with manifest dementia who was assessed to be mild dementia by their relatives, the patients did not receive social health supports or their relatives did not expect them. These results were contrary to the former result obtained from staff members working at a nursing home for the elderly. This finding is partly due to the bias by the relatives, who intended to underestimate how the demented elderly was because the demented elderly at home was poorly situated by medical care, nursing and rehabilitation.
3. The assessment of mental senility of the elderly at home will be used for the screening of entry to nursing homes.
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