The Relationship between Daily Life Activities and the Cognitive Function Levels of the Elderly in a Nursing Home

Abstract

As the general population is getting older the need for the health care of this group also increases. Elderly health care needs increase due to loss of physical and cognitive abilities which may limit or prevent their usual independent daily life activities. The research was done descriptively to determine the relation between the levels of the cognitive functions and the daily living activities for the aged in a nursing home. This study was conducted with 54 elderly residents of the Private Nursing Home in Mugla, Turkey. A questionnaire was formulated after examining the studies and literature about the elderly. It consisted of socio-demographic characteristics, a Standardized Mini Mental Test (SMMT) to determine the existence of cognitive disorders and also a. short-term faculty-loss questionnaire. As a result of the study, the cognitive disorder and faculty loss were determined in 57.5 percent and 72.2 percent of the aged people respectively.