ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence and characteristics of geographic isolation in the elder people from Alora (Málaga). DESIGN: A transversal observational study. SETTING: Town of Alora. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Elder people of both sexes, who lives habitually in Alora and born in 1927 or before. Home interview in a 153 individuals random sample proceeding from actual census during june to september 1992. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We found 25 individuals with the isolation conditions being the 16.34% (IC 95%: 10.48-22.20). In the 24% of them (IC 95%: 11.5-43.4) we found dependence of other person for two and more basic functions in the current life. Half of them this deficits are cover by the couple, the rest depends on their sons. We didn't found significative differences in none variables with the urban group. CONCLUSIONS: The geographic isolation affect to an important proportion of elder people in rural areas and must be used in the designs of care elderly programs.
