To grow old. From a socio-medical epidemiological intervention study among old citizens of Copenhagen.
A cross-sectional, epidemiological, sociomedical survey, followed by intervention, was conducted with the participation of 585 men and women in the 75, 80 and 85 year-old age groups living in the city of Copenhagen. The main objectives of the study were to describe the health and social conditions of the elderly people, to register the physical and social unmet needs and then intervene to relieve these needs, to assess the effect of such an intervention through a follow-up study, and to demonstrate possible risk factors. Age, marital status, recent hospitalisation were shown to be connected with the functional condition. The quality of life study showed that health, functional ability to stay independent, and housing conditions are most important factors when growing old. The socio-medical intervention did not show any effect with regard to mortality, hospitalisation, institutionalisation, subjective health and economy, loneliness, quality of life and functional ability. The most striking risk markers in relation to death were: low systolic blood pressure among women, subjective poor health, low score on the ladder-scale used to quantify quality of life, and impaired functional capacity in nine out of ten partial functions. All together, it is concluded that if we want to improve the living conditions of the elderly we should reserve the efforts for old people at risk and enable as many as possible to stay independent.
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D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012924:Social Conditions; D012947:Social Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires