Abstracts

Seniors

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The relation of pain to depression among institutionalized aged

Article Abstract:

Many studies have found a relationship between complaints of chronic pain and depression, although the nature of this relationship is not clearly understood. Most studies have focused on younger patients with specific types of pain, but the elderly often complain of more generalized pain. It has been suggested that these complaints are in some cases symptoms of an underlying depression. A recent study showed that pain and depression were related in elderly populations as in younger populations, although specifics of the relationship were unclear. This study examined the relationship between pain and depression in the elderly. It measured pain intensity and localization, depression, and health and functional capacity in 598 elderly subjects aged 61 to 99 years. Results showed that subjects who were found to be depressed experienced greater pain intensities and reported a higher number of localized pain complaints. The number of subjects reporting localized pain in 12 areas increased as depression level increased, for all areas except headaches and joint pain. When health factors were figured in, pain was found to be significantly associated with functional disability and health, although depression remained a significant factor. The results show that, as is found in younger subjects, pain and depression are linked in the elderly. The exact mechanism of this relationship is still unclear, but it appears that depression may increase sensitivity to pain caused by an existing physical problem. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Physiological aspects, Intractable pain, Inmates of institutions

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Incidence of depression in long-term care settings

Article Abstract:

The incidence of depression among nondepressed residents in a nursing home and a congregate apartment as well as the patterns of stability and change among depressed residents were studied for one year. About 15.7% of 868 respondents displayed possible major depression while 16.5% displayed minor depression on admission to the study. About 6.6% of 448 respondents with minor or no depression were detected a year later. More than 40% of those initially detected to have major depression showed no remission after one year. More than 50% of those with minor depression showed no depression after one year but 16.2% showed signs of major depression.

Aging, Aged, Elderly, Research, Long term care

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Psychometric characteristics of the Minimum Data Set II: validity

Article Abstract:

Some domains of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) may need improvement. Researchers correlated MDS scores of 513 nursing home residents with other measures of behavioral and mental status. The domains covering cognition, activities of daily living and time use were well correlated but this was less true of the domains covering depression and problem behavior.

Evaluation, Medical examination, Health status indicators, Nursing home patients

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