title: Functional status of older persons with chronic mental illness living in a home setting.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine the functional status of older persons with chronic mental illness. One hundred subjects living in their homes were interviewed in face-to-face interviews using the Older Adult Resources Survey (OARS) to determine functioning in five areas: social, economic, mental, physical, and activities of daily living. Pearson product moment correlation showed significant relationships among all functional scores. Twenty-nine percent of the total sample had social relationships of poor quality. Thirty-five percent of subjects had severe economic impairment. The majority (53%) of subjects had psychiatric symptoms. The most common psychiatric diagnosis was depression (42%), followed by schizophrenia (22%), and bipolar illness (13%). Twenty-nine percent of subjects had a serious medical problem that required medical treatment. Cardiovascular diseases were the most frequently reported (92%), followed by arthritis (45%) and urinary tract disorders (19%). All subjects perceived that their physical health had deteriorated over the 5 years. Polypharmacy and drug misuse were common among the sample. A mean of four prescribed drugs was taken daily over the past month. Psychotropic (83%), antihypertensive (32%), and cardiac (20%) medications were the most frequently prescribed drugs. Twenty-five percent of the sample regularly required assistance with at least four activities of daily living.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Ball State University, Muncie, IN.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Krach
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics