RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: Care of elderly demands more and more resources. The purpose of this study was to compare the health of the elderly and the differences in utilisation of services. DESIGN: Health status was measured using the Short Form 36, the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living, the Abbreviated Mental Test and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Information was also obtained on health and social service utilisation. SETTING: Eight European districts. SUBJECTS: 4004 elderly aged 70-94 years were studied. RESULTS: General health perception measured with SF-36 was significantly better in men than in women and in elderly living outside institutions. Measured with the Barthel scale, the elderly living in the southern districts were more disabled. Women were more disabled than men. Depression and anxiety were common, but inadequately treated and strongly linked with disability. There was a north-south difference also in mental disability, people in the north feeling healthier. CONCLUSION: Cultural differences probably explain most of the differences observed. However, treating depression and anxiety more adequately could help elderly people to avoid early institutionalisation.
Asunto(s)
Servicios de Salud para Ancianos/estadística & datos numéricos , Indicadores de Salud , Actividades Cotidianas , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Personas con Discapacidad/estadística & datos numéricos , Europa (Continente)/epidemiología , Femenino , Investigación sobre Servicios de Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Evaluación de Necesidades , Servicio SocialRESUMEN
AIM: To obtain population data on health status and disability of elderly people which may help in planning and maintaining services and be used as comparators for research. METHOD: Random samples of people aged 70 and over were interviewed in their own homes in West Glamorgan, Dudley and North Staffordshire. The interviews included standardized assessments of health status (SF-36), disability (Barthel index) and cognitive function (Abbreviated Mental Test). RESULTS: 1608 interviews were completed. Response rates varied between 66 and 84%. Age and sex adjusted scores for five of the eight parameters of the SF-36 and the Barthel score differed significantly between districts. CONCLUSIONS: Local studies are required to provide appropriate normative data for each area. In the absence of such studies, the data in this paper are the best currently available.
Asunto(s)
Evaluación de la Discapacidad , Anciano Frágil/estadística & datos numéricos , Evaluación Geriátrica/estadística & datos numéricos , Estado de Salud , Actividades Cotidianas/clasificación , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Directrices para la Planificación en Salud , Necesidades y Demandas de Servicios de Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Humanos , Masculino , Escala del Estado Mental , Reino UnidoRESUMEN
Vibration signatures of the Low Power Atmospheric Compensation Experiment satellite were obtained with a ground-based CO(2) laser radar. The laser radar operated in a cw mode and used autodyne receivers to extract relative target velocity information between a germanium retroreflector located at the base of the satellite and a retroreflector array located at the tip of an extended forward boom. Time-frequency analysis algorithms were applied to the vibration data to investigate the correlation between excitations and modal structure. The resultant analysis suggests that vibration modes of an on-orbit spacecraft can be suppressed with simple open-loop techniques.