Assessment of the Quality of health Status of Egyptian Elderly

Abstract

The challenge of nursing today in to meet the growing complexity of the care needs of the aging. Each of us grows older every day, but, there is no universally accepted criterion as to when old age begins. Its definition tend to vary geographically, temporarily, and from one person to another. But arbitrary age is 65 years, which many studies considered it the began of aging. By 2030, it is projected that one out of every four will be 65 or older and the very old elderly (7 5 years and above) are the most rapidly growing part of the population consequently, there are more dependent elderly to care for than every before. In addition, the elderly population is on the increase, with the consequent increase of physical age-related disorders. The current study aims to develop a comprehensive nursing assessment tool, to apply this tool in order to determine the major needs and common problems of elderly and to identify the different patterns of their functioning. Also to assess how the Egyptian elderly perceived their health status and their life satisfaction level. Information gathered through this comprehensive assessment tool can be used as a baseline for planning an acceptable, realistic and accessible service for Egyptian elderly. The study was conducted in two settings. The first setting (A) is El-Minia hospital in medical out patient clinic and the second setting (B)