Takaesu A, Hanashiro K, Nakamura K. Characteristics of Older People from a Poor Residential Environment in Okinawa, Japan: An Emergency Department-Based Cross-Sectional Study.
Gerontology 2022;
68:1111-1120. [PMID:
35008088 DOI:
10.1159/000520809]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Evidence for what diseases occur more commonly in older people from a poor residential environment (PRE) is limited.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated characteristics, especially the underlying reason (disease) for visiting an emergency department (ED), of older people from a PRE in ED settings.
METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted on people aged ≥65 years who presented to the EDs of 2 hospitals in Okinawa, Japan, between 2015 and 2019. PRE cases were identified by searching relevant words, such as a house overflowing with garbage from hoarding or housing squalor (gomi-yashiki in Japanese), in electric medical records. Controls (2 controls per case) were randomly selected from those without a PRE, with both living at home and matching each PRE case for age and sex. Characteristics of interest between cases and controls were compared using a χ2 test.
RESULTS
PRE cases (n = 67), compared with controls (n = 134), were more often transported by ambulance (79.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.01). A family member or relative (43.4%) or professional supporter (20.8%) called an ambulance for most PRE cases. PRE cases were more likely to visit the ED due to injury/fracture (16.4% vs. 8.2%), rhabdomyolysis (11.9% vs. 1.5%), undernutrition/dehydration (10.4% vs. 1.5%), and cancer (9.0% vs. 5.2%) than controls (p < 0.001). PRE cases had a higher prevalence of being underweight (35.4% vs. 14.9%), dementia (41.8% vs. 16.4%), decubitus ulcer (29.9% vs. 8.2%), living alone (73.1% vs. 23.1%), and receiving public welfare assistance (35.8% vs. 9.0%) than controls (all p ≤ 0.001).
CONCLUSION
In EDs, older people from a PRE exhibited certain diseases and characteristics.
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