Mental status of the elderly receiving home health services and the associated stress of home helpers

• Published in: International journal of geriatric psychiatry Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 57 - 63
• Main Authors: Nagatomo, Itsugi, Takigawa, Morikuni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-01-1998; Wiley
• Subjects: abnormal behavior; Activities of Daily Living; ADL; ADL, burnout; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged - psychology; Aged, 80 and over; Analysis of Variance; Biological and medical sciences; burnout; Burnout, Professional - diagnosis; Burnout, Professional - psychology; Dementia - diagnosis; Dementia - psychology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - etiology; Depressive Disorder - psychology; depressive state; elderly; Female; Geriatrics; Health staff related problems. Vocational training; Home Care Services; Home Health Aides - psychology; home helper; Humans; intellectual level; Male; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - etiology; Mental Disorders - psychology; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Occupational Diseases - diagnosis; Occupational Diseases - psychology; Psychological Tests; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Severity of Illness Index; Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Stress, Psychological - diagnosis; Visual Acuity - physiology; Human; Mood disorder; Health staff; Daily living; Activity; Depression; Health service; Stress; Behavioral disorder; At home; Intellectual ability; Elderly; Public health
• ISSN: 0885-6230; 1099-1166
• DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1166(199801)13:1<57::AID-GPS735>3.0.CO;2-3

One hundred and ninety elderly people receiving home health service were investigated. The intellectual levels, depressive state evaluated by the Cornell scale for depression in dementia (CSDD) scale, abnormal behaviors evaluated by the dementia behavior disturbance (DBD) scale, and activities of daily living (ADL) were examined. These assessments were performed by 72 skilled home helpers who also assessed the severity of their own level of stress using the Burnout scale. The intellectual level and mood‐related signs, based on the CSDD scale, of the elderly living with families or with a spouse were diminished significantly as compared to the elderly living alone. The elderly living with families also performed worse on all ADL categories except for visual acuity as compared to the elderly living with a spouse or living alone. There was no significant correlation between the Burnout scale score and age or frequency of working as a home helper. These results suggest that elderly people living with families as compared to the elderly living with a spouse or living alone have greater mental health needs as well as more profound physical limitations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.