A Nursing Care Intervention Model for Elderly People to Ascertain General Profiles of Functionality and Self Care Needs

Abstract

A core set of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health codes was used to ascertain general profiles of functionality as a function of biological and sociodemographic characteristics and to develop structured nursing interventions in accordance with self care deficits identified by studying self care behavior for elderly people living in both extensively and sparsely populated rural areas. Data were collected by health professionals in the participants' houses. An exploratory factor analysis enabled reduced data dimensions, and factorial validity was assessed by a confirmatory factor analysis. An ordinal regression model was built to identify general profiles of functionality as a function of age. A bar graph was used as a measurement tool for nursing care needs as a function of self care behavior and functional profile level. No functional problems were expected among people under the age of 74 years, while mild functionality problems were expected among people older than 74 years. Regarding nursing care needs, the results of the constructed model suggested that the functional concept "Support and Relationships" is associated with higher levels of functional problems and thus a greater need for self care interventions and that people aged 85 years and older always show therapeutic self care deficits.

Figure 1

Synthesis of the conceptual framework of the ENCS25 nursing model and the correspondence between functional profiles and nursing self care deficits according to the self care behavior of a person aged 65 or older within his or her residence, namely, his or her home or the home of family or friends.

Figure 2

Probability evolution of the general profiles of functionality as a function of the ages of the respondents. The plot shows that for a person whose age is higher than 74 years old, he/she has a greater probability to present a “MILD problem” functional profile than a “NO problem”, whose result is statistically significant.

Figure 3

The mean scores for the functional concepts among the respondents and the correspondence in terms of nursing interventions stratified by age group, representing the elderly nursing care model based on the ENCS25.