[Psychosocial nature of chronic illnesses in the dependent elderly].
OBJECTIVE
To find the psychosocial nature of chronic diseases in elderly dependent persons.


METHODS
Transversal, observational study.


METHODS
Two urban health districts in Granada and Jaén, Spain.


METHODS
One hundred five patients included in the Family and Home Care programme for elderly dependent persons.


METHODS
The type of chronic illness was analysed through the modified Rolland classification. Types of incapacity, demographic variables and the presence of multi-pathologies were recorded.


RESULTS
47.6% of the 105 participants were between 70 and 79 years old. On their psychosocial nature, 94.2% had some kind of disability, 78% had a gradual start, 61% had a progressive course of disease, and 63.8% had a possibly fatal prognosis. Psychosocial type B -- incapacitating, gradual start, progressive and possibly fatal -- was the most common (44.7%).


CONCLUSIONS
The study of psychosocial type in elderly dependent persons is an important instrument for the analysis of families with chronic illnesses within them. Questions relating to its progressive course and the fatal prognosis may have a more determining prognostic weight.
de la Revilla
Luis
L
Fundación para el Estudio de la Atención a la Familia, Programa de Atención Familiar de la Unidad Docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria de Granada, Emérito del Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Granada, Spain. lrevillla@terra.es
Moreno Corredor
Andrés
A
Prados Quel
Miguel Angel
MA
Quesada
Fermín
F
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000523:psychology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain; D014505:Urban Population