Comparison of the self-sufficiency of inmates in old people'shomes over the years 2000-2004

Summary

We have compared the self-sufficiency and dependence on others in a series of 407 inmates ofeight old people's homes, who lived in those facilities over the years 2000-2004. In theinvestigation the Barthel test of common daily activities in a modification by Czech authorswas implemented. In all ten items of the test the values in 2004 were to a statistically significantdegree worse than in the year 2000 (p > 0.001). In the course of four years the spectrum ofactivities in which the inmates depend on other's help has changed. The greatest change for theworse was observed in personal hygiene (more than twelvefold); in eating and drinking (almostsevenfold); and in bathing (3.8 fold). The prevalence of urine incontinence rose (from 26.3% to34.1%) as well as incontinence of the stool (from 10.6% to 26.5%). In the year 2000 totallyself-sufficient were 55.8% of the inmates, four years later the self-sufficiency of those sameinmates declined to 35.1%. Over the years of follow-up the dependence of medium and severedegree rose more than threefold. While in the year 2000 there was a statistically significantgreater occurrence of dependent females, no changes between males and females have beenobserved through the ageing of the group. The authors recommend the application of the testin practice by physicians at social facilities

Key words:
old people's home - Barthel's test - self-sufficiency - dependence - incontinence ofurine and stool - functional examination.