Tiredness as determinant of subsequent use of health and social services among nondisabled elderly people

Abstract

Objective: To examine whether self-reported tiredness in daily activities at age 75 is an independent determinant of incident hospitalization and use of home services 5 years later.

Methods: In all, 275 people participated in a prospective study in Glostrup, Denmark, when they were 75 and 80 years old. Four subgroups were created according to whether participants had been hospitalized or used home care in the year before the baseline study and whether or not they were disabled at the time. The key predictor variables were measured by two scales about tiredness in daily activities.

Results: Nondisabled individuals who felt tired in their daily activities had about twice the risk of being hospitalized and of being users of home help 5 years later.

Conclusions: Because tiredness in daily activities is related to subsequent hospitalization and use of home help, it should be taken seriously in preventive services among elderly people.