Functional status of older persons with chronic mental illness living in a home setting

The purpose of the study was to determine the functional status of older persons with chronic mental illness. One hundred subjects living in their homes were interviewed in face-to-face interviews using the Older Adult Resources Survey (OARS) to determine functioning in five areas: social, economic, mental, physical, and activities of daily living. Pearson product moment correlation showed significant relationships among all functional scores. Twenty-nine percent of the total sample had social relationships of poor quality. Thirty-five percent of subjects had severe economic impairment. The majority (53%) of subjects had psychiatric symptoms. The most common psychiatric diagnosis was depression (42%), followed by schizophrenia (22%), and bipolar illness (13%). Twenty-nine percent of subjects had a serious medical problem that required medical treatment. Cardiovascular diseases were the most frequently reported (92%), followed by arthritis (45%) and urinary tract disorders (19%). All subjects perceived that their physical health had deteriorated over the 5 years. Polypharmacy and drug misuse were common among the sample. A mean of four prescribed drugs was taken daily over the past month. Psychotropic (83%), antihypertensive (32%), and cardiac (20%) medications were the most frequently prescribed drugs. Twenty-five percent of the sample regularly required assistance with at least four activities of daily living.