[Follow-up study on elderly patients living at home].
OBJECTIVE
To elucidate the characteristics of elderly patients registered in the home medical care system.


METHODS
A 2-year follow-up study was conducted for 23 elderly patients who were under home medical care for a minimum of 1 year.


RESULTS
Eleven of the subjects were men, the mean age of the patients was 83.3 +/- 7.6 years, and 65% of subjects were under home medical care for 3 years at a stretch. The median score for the Barthel Index (BI) of activities of daily living was 40, the median score for the 10 cm visual analogue scale (VAS) was 5.7 cm, 91% of the patients needed a caregiver, the mean age of the primary caregiver was 60.3 +/- 12.0 years, and the mean score on the Burden Index of Caregivers (BIC-11) scale was 14.7.


CONCLUSIONS
A follow-up study showed that 65% of patients were under continuous home medical care for 3 years, and the degree of the burden on family and the primary caregiver was moderate.
Hiroko
H
Ohshima
Mitsuyo
M
Ozaki
Akemi
A
Matsumoto
Takao
T
Suzuki
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged