PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE AND COGNITIVE LEVELS IN GERIATRIC POPULATION OF AHMEDABAD -GUJARAT

M. Sheth¹, N. Shah², M. Purohit¹, P. Gahlot¹

¹SBB College of Physiotherapy, Community Health, Geriatrics, Ahmedabad, India, ²SBB College of Physiotherapy, Musculoskeletal, Ahmedabad, India

Background: With aging many physiological changes occur in all body systems. There is a decline in physical strength and cognition which impedes performance of activities of daily living (ADL). Physical performance measures needed for ADL includes strength of upper and lower limbs, good balance and ability to walk independently in the community. Older people in middle income countries are increasing in number. Governments do not provide assistance to most people, so health needs are to be fulfilled of by them only. Health checkups are conducted at various hospitals. As a part of health, there is a need to assess their levels of physical performance and cognition. Also there is a need to assess if they have difficulty in performing activities of daily living both basic and instrumental.

Purpose: To assess the physical performance using short physical performance battery (SPPB), cognition levels using Mini Mental scale (MMSE), difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) using Lawton Brody instrumental activities of daily living scale in geriatric population of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Methods: An observational study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital of Ahmedabad. One hundred and fifty geriatric individuals more than 65 years of age were included using convenience sampling. Physical performance, cognition levels and difficulty in instrumental activities of daily living were assessed using SPPB, MMSE and Lawton Brody instrumental activities of daily living scale. Descriptive analysis was done.

Results: 150 participants completed the study. Mean age of the participants was 68.04 + 6.13 years. Mean score for SPPB was 11.33 + 1.80 (144 participants), for MMSE: 29.26 + 1.48 (143 participants) and for IADL: 7.85 + 0.54 (142 participants).Seventy seven percent of the older people participated in some form of physical activity like morning walks or yoga.

Conclusions: The physical performance of older people visiting a tertiary care hospital was on the higher side, with normal cognition and almost no difficulties incurring out instrumental activities of daily living.

Implications: Older people visiting the tertiary care hospital were found to have adequate levels of physical performance and cognition. Further studies can be conducted to assess factors affecting physical performance and cognition like presence of co-morbidities, pain can be assessed.

Funding acknowledgements: None

Keywords:
Geriatric
Physical performance
Cognition

Topics:
Older people
Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity
Community based rehabilitation

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: SBB College of Physiotherapy

Committee: SBB Institutional Review Board

Ethics number: PTC/IEC 49/22-23