Constipation and Activities of Daily Living of the Institutionalized Elderly

시설노인의 변비실태와 일상생활 수행능력

Purpose: This study attempts to develop the basic data of Constipation reduction program for institutionalized elderly by surveying the constipation and the ADL (Activities of Daily Living) of them. Method: Data are collected by nurses caring for four hundreds five institutionalized elderly during May through July in 2004. Questionnaire contains a bowel assessment, constipation control intervention, and ADL. Result: The constipation rate was found to be 43%. The 82.5% of the study sample was treated with laxatives, and a 59.9% of the sample was practicing enema. The average score of the ADL was 38.32(range: 0 - 100). According to surveying on the ADL in relation to the function of the constipation, ADL is found to be higher in the non-constipation group than the constipation group (t=-2.786, p=.006). Conclusions: The institutionalized elderly tended to have a high rate of constipation. The elderly having constipation was almost dependent on laxatives and enema for relaxing constipation. The high rate of constipation was related to the low performance of the ADL.