The Association Between Geriatric Syndromes and Death in Community-Dwelling Elderly

• Main Authors: Hsu, Chih-Yun, 徐芷妘
• Other Authors: Wang, Jye
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/67778708598543316696

碩士 === 長榮大學 === 醫務管理學系碩士班 === 101 === Background & Objective Geriatric syndromes are prevalent among community-dwelling elders and may impact their physical, mental,and socal health. Past studies on the relationships bewteen geriatric syndromes and death had the following limitations: 1) Very few studies have investigated the association between multiple geriatric syndromes and death, 2) The associations between severity and total number of geriaric syndromes and death are not well understood, 3) It remains unclear whether the assocations between various geriatric syndromes and death differ between different gender and age groups Methods Data for this longitudinal cohort study came from 2003 wave and survival data of the Survey of Health and Living Status of the Elderly in Taiwan. After excluding persons younger than 65 years old, nursing home residents, proxy respondents, and those with missing data, the final sample contains 2,197. Kaplan-Meier Curve and Cox Proportional Hazard Model were used for data analyses. Results More than 92% of Taiwan’s community-dwelling elderly have one or more geriatric syndromes. Overall, functional limitation, dizziness, cognitive impairment, and falls are the most significant predictors of death. Men with functional limitation and visual impairment have a higher risk of death. Women with dizziness, cognitive impairment, and fall have a higher risk of death. The risk factors for death varies considerably among different age groups. Depression, low body mass index, and hearing impairment are not risk factors of death. Conclusion Intervention for geriatric syndromes should integrate local resources to develop simple yet comprehensive screening tools so elderly with geriatric syndromes can receive appropriate intervention to promote successful aging.