Independence of the Elderly in Rural Community and Urination Trouble. Comparison with Patients and Institutionalized Old People.
10.2185/jjrm.46.825
- VernacularTitle:農村高齢者の自立状況と排尿状態 患者，老人施設入所者との比較
- Author:
Akiyoshi BANDO
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine
1998;46(5):825-832
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
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Abstract:
The author participated in a joint project to investigate the health state and urination of people of advanced age. Under this project, commissioned by the National Mutual Insurance Federation of Agricultural Cooperatives (Zenkyoren), a questionnaire survey was carried out on a total of 1, 238 old people (mean age: 75.2 years) in a typical Japanese rural community in flatlands. The results brought out the realities about their health conditions and way of life in full relief.
Well over 90% of those living in their own homes were doing fairly well almost without depending on others, compared with 12.9% of those staying in old-age institution. The need of care for the aged in institutions stemmed mostly from sequela of strokes and bone fractures as well as psychiatric disorders such as nyctophobia, an obsessive, irrational fear of night.
Ambulatory old patients of general hospitals ware as good as those old people at home in terms of independence. Hospitalized old patients were largely between the old people at home and those institutionalized.
However, of those old people who look after themselves in daily life, it was, found, about 20% complained about loss of bladder control. The prevalence of urinary incontinence was 20.5% for men and 25.8% for women.
Geriatric troubles associated with voiding and urination would undermine the old people's quality of life and enervate their will to stand on their own two feet. Understanding the implications of these facts and establishing the countermeasures are crucial today when the nation is graying faster than any society in recent history.
