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Cross‐sectional Evaluation of Aged Schizophrenics at Home‐Influence of Aging and Social Support
Author(s) -
Saito Haruna,
Kanamatsu Naoya
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
psychogeriatrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.647
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1479-8301
pISSN - 1346-3500
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-8301.2002.tb00032.x
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , cross sectional study , activities of daily living , social support , medical record , outpatient clinic , population , gerontology , population ageing , psychiatry , family medicine , psychology , disease , environmental health , pathology , psychotherapist , radiology
Background: We carried out a cross‐sectional evaluation on the living state and social support in aged schizophrenic patients and the circumstances that enables them to live at home. Methods: There were 19 aged schizophrenic outpatients at Nagano prefectural Kiso Hospital who were at home. Eight were male and 11 were female, and their age ranged from 65 to 82 years with a mean of 70.3 years. Based on medical records and interviews at the outpatient clinic, we investigated the following factors: the family environment, care providers, relations with medical institutions, present symptoms, and the influence of aging. Results: Of the 19 patients, 18 were in remission. The characteristics of daily life common to them were the following: (1) They had a family as the care providers. The patients living alone depended on care providers in welfare activities in the community. (2) Seventeen patients continued to visit the hospital without admission. All of them were close to the medical institutions. (3) Dementia such as Alzheimer's dementia or cerebrovascular dementia was not suspected in 18 patients. Of the 19 patients, 9 had made an application for care insurance. Conclusion: The characteristics common to the patients with remission were the presence of care providers, participation in community life, the presence of nearby medical institutions and ongoing treatment. These may be important for maintaining a healthy life not only in aged schizophrenic patients but also in the general aged population. Therefore, the results in this study support the theory that the social state and social adaptation in aged schizophrenic patients generally approaches that found with general aging.