Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment(CI) is an important clinical issue among elderly patients with depression and has a more complex etiology. The objective of the present study was to screen a representative sample of adults aged ≥60 years for the prevalence of Cognitive Impairment and Depression.

Method: A Community based Cross-sectional study done among 290 elderly in a declared slum area, Medar’s block, Mysuru city, Karnataka. Standard tools like Mini-Cog questionnaire was used to assess Cognitive Impairment and Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS) to estimate the prevalence of depression.

Results: Among the study participants, 201(69.3%) belonged to the age group of 60-69 years and most of them belonged to medium Standard of living Index(SLI) 201(69%). The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 132(45.5 %) and suggestive depression was seen in 141(48.6%) of the elderly.

Conclusion: There was an association between cognitive impairment and depression which in turn had a significant impact on activities of daily living. Early diagnosis of these problems with appropriate intervention can bring about significant change in the quality of life among the elderly.

Keywords

Full Text