Portuguese Older People's Self-Perception of Their (In)Dependency: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction The perception of (in)dependency of elderly is fundamental because it can help adjusting social and health policies, institutions and the allocation of material and human resources. This study aims to examine older Portuguese persons’ self-perceptions on their (in)dependency, considering different settings. Materials and Methods Participants were selected from the most common available community settings for older people (homes for the aged, day care centres, home support services, hospital units, senior universities and primary care services). The sample comprises 477 older people aged ≥ 65 years. The instrument EASYcare was applied. Results Only the setting and age were found to be associated significantly (p < 0.001) with the dependence score. For a given setting, for each 10 years increase in the age of the elders on average the dependence score value is expected to duplicate (2.38, 95%CI 2.03 to 2.77). After adjusting for age, on average dependency was higher in the hospital continuity of care unit (30.3 out of 100), followed by the hospital internal medicine unit, homes for the aged, home help services, primary care services, hospital pain units, day care centres and senior universities (between 17.6 and 2.5 out of 100). Conclusion Results of this study suggest that settings are predictive of older people’s levels of dependence, and what should be taking into consideration when planning health services and social support.