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Elder Care News
Study Offers New Look at “Self-Neglect” Among the
Elderly
Senior citizens who self-neglect are those with
impairment in activities of daily living
By Becky Ham, Science
Writer
Health Behavior News Service
Aug. 1, 2007 - Many older adults who cannot take
care of the tasks of daily life such as eating and bathing are battling
a multitude of health problems with little help from family or others in
their community, according to a new study.
This portrait of “self-neglect,” the most
comprehensive to date, suggests these adults frequently suffer from
heart problems and depression. They struggle with simple physical and
mental tasks, and might even be oblivious to their problems.
“We believe elders who self-neglect are those with
impairment in activities of daily living, who lack the needed support
services, and who fail to recognize the danger,” say Carmel Dyer, M.D.,
and colleagues in the September issue of the American Journal of Public
Health.
Self-neglect is a common problem faced by Adult
Protective Services agencies throughout the country, said Dyer, a
researcher at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
Self-neglect happens most often when an older
person lacks social support, the researchers found.
“Some elderly persons who self-neglect simply lack
access to support services, whereas others either refuse help or who —
when provided access to services — cannot complete the tasks necessary
to obtain them,” Dyer said.
The researchers examined the medical and testing
records for 538 adults diagnosed with self-neglect whom Adult Protective
Services in Houston referred to a geriatrics medical team.
Two-thirds of the adults had physical problems that
kept them from functioning normally, and half scored poorly on mental
health tests. Nearly 95 percent of those examined had inadequate social
support, as determined by the researchers.
“Many patients were too impaired to complete even
these basic tests; others were delirious and unable to answer, and some
refused to be tested,” Dyer said.
Maria Pavlou, M.D., of Weill Cornell Medical
College, in Ithaca, N.Y., said self-neglect should be a “geriatric
syndrome,” which might help more primary care doctors recognize the
problem.
“For instance, if an older adult visiting their
primary care provider has long toenails, the diligent practitioner will
typically refer them to podiatry. However if that practitioner has
‘self-neglect’ on their list of things to look out for, they might be
more likely to investigate further why the patient has not come sooner
to the office,” Pavlou said.
The American Journal of Public Health is the
monthly journal of the American Public Health Association. Visit
www.apha.org for more information. Complimentary online access to the
journal is available to credentialed members of the media. Contact
Olivia Chang at APHA, (202) 777-2511 or olivia.chang@apha.org
Dyer CB, et al. Self-neglect among the elderly: a
model based on more than 500 patients seen by a geriatric medicine team.
Am J Public Health 97(9), 2007.
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