Depression symptoms among older adults in Iceland : findings from the resident assessment instrument-minimum data set 2.0

Abstract

This study examines the difference in depression symptoms between those older adults living in long-term care facilities and those receiving home care nursing, as well as to what extent accommodation type, age, gender, functional status, risk of mortality, anxiolytics and antidepressant treatments predict symptoms of depression among those older adults that reach the cut-off score on the Depression Rating Scale, as measured with the Resident Assessment Instrument-Minimum Data Set 2.0, in the same group. The sample consisted of 1352 residents aged 80 years and older living in every nursing home in Iceland, and 221 residents aged 80 years and older that receive home care nursing in six municipalities in Iceland. The latest Residential Assessment Instrument-Minimum Data Set 2.0 assessment for each individual from the year 2017 was used in this research. Those that scored Cognitive Performance Rating Scale > 4 were considered to have severe cognitive impairment and were therefore left out. The findings from this research showed that depression symptoms among home care residents were statistically-speaking significantly higher than for long-term care facility residents. The residents that received home care nursing, had higher risk of mortality, received anxiolytic and antidepressant treatments had a higher chance to exhibit depression symptoms. Symptoms of depression were shown to be almost twice as high among those older adults that receive home care nursing as in the general population. Depression symptoms among those living in long-term care facilities measured as high as in the general population.