Depression and health status in elderly hospitalized patients with chronic illness

The purpose of this study was to determine the chronically ill elderly individuals' depression and health status and to determine the relationships between depression and health status. This study, designed as a cross-sectional study, was conducted with 100 patients with a chronic health problem who were 60 years old or older and had been admitted to a medical ward at Trakya University Medical Faculty Hospital. It was determined that 64% of the elderly patients had depressive symptoms and 36% did not. The elderly patients with depressive symptoms had been ill for a longer period of time than those who did not have depressive symptoms (p = 0.019). The depressed elderly patients' mobility, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression dimensions, EQ-5D index score, and their EQ-5D VAS score were worse than the patients who were not depressed (p < 0.05). A significant negative correlation was found between depression and the EQ-5D index score and the EQ-5D VAS score (p < 0.05). As the level of depression increased in chronically ill hospitalized elderly patients their quality of life decreased. Providing of psychosocial support, supplying of psychosocial needings, and improving of physical and functional capacity will help for improve quality of life in chronically ill elderly patients receiving medical treatment in the hospital. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.