Understanding diabetes, a common chronic disease in adults over 65, and its impact on quality of life (QoL) may reduce the burden on health and lead to better management and treatment. there is.1
The disease can lead to physical complications such as coronary artery disease, stroke, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. Researchers say it can also cause negative social, emotional and psychological effects. This can lead to anxiety and stress, which can increase negative health effects.1
Researchers conducted a correlational descriptive study from September 20, 2022 to November 20, 2022 to measure how diabetes affects QoL in people aged 65 and older did. They selected 207 elderly diabetic patients from private and public diabetes clinics in Istanbul, Turkey.
Participants were given a personal information form that collected socio-demographic and diabetes-related information. The majority of participants (65.2%) were between 65 and 74 years old, and almost 88% reported having health insurance. Almost half (48.8%) identified as female. According to the researchers, 27.2% of participants had an elementary school degree. More than 84% were married, but only 34.8% reported living at home with a spouse. Just over 61% reported having an average income. Almost 37% had this condition for their 6 to 10 years. More than 60% relied on oral antidiabetic drugs, and 32.9% used insulin to manage their diabetes. Almost 80% of participants reported having no other chronic conditions.
Participants then completed the Elderly Diabetes Burden Scale (EDBS). The scale includes 22 multiple-choice questions in six areas: symptom burden, social burden, dietary restrictions, diabetes concerns, dissatisfaction with treatment, and pill and insulin burden. This scale is scored from 18 to 88, with higher numbers indicating greater burden.
The final survey for participants was the Older Adults’ Quality of Life (CASP-19) scale, which has 13 questions and examines autonomy and satisfaction, as well as perceived barriers. The rating options are 0/never respond, 1/rarely respond, 2/sometimes respond, and 3/always respond. The researchers noted that questions 1, 2, and 4 were reverse scored, with a higher total score meaning a higher quality of life.
The researchers reported that the EDBS mean total score was 47.13 ± 11.95 and CASP-19 was 19.36 ± 7.00.1.
For EDBS, statistically significant correlations were found between disease burden and oral antidiabetic drug use, educational level, gender, and patient’s cohabitation. The authors emphasized that these findings are consistent with previous studies.
Men tended to have a higher disease burden than women. “In this study, self-management and care may be more effective in women than in men due to the older sample,” the authors write. Researchers found that people with lower levels of education were burdened more than people with higher levels of education. Oral antidiabetic drug use and living alone were also associated with increased burden.
“Older people living alone, especially those with chronic diseases, are a group that requires priority care compared to others, as they are more deficient in biopsychosocial aspects,” the researchers said. Ta. “Therefore, it was thought that older adults living alone may have a higher burden of diabetes because they have a lower ability to self-manage their diabetes.”
For CASP-19, the association between income level and presence of other chronic conditions was the only statistically significant correlation. A negative correlation was found between the CASP-19 scale and the EDBS scale total score. “We also found a negative correlation between the CASP-19 scale total score and ‘concern about diabetes subscale’ and ‘burden from pill or insulin subscale,'” the researchers said. Ta.
Based on their data, the authors concluded that older adults experience a moderate burden of diabetes. They believe that in order to improve QoL, it is important to target at-risk populations (men, people with low education levels, people with low incomes, people taking oral intake), as found in this study and supporting studies. He said there is a need to reduce the burden of diabetes through educational programs. Those receiving diabetes treatment and those living alone.