Multimorbidity and multi-disability among the elderly in residential care in India: the Hyderabad Ocular Morbidity in Elderly Study (HOMES)

• Published in: Scientific reports 2022-07, Vol.12 (1), p.11779-11779, Article 11779
• Main Authors: Marmamula, Srinivas, Kumbham, Thirupathi Reddy, Shidhaye, Rahul, Modepalli, Satya Brahmanandam, Barrenkala, Navya Rekha, Yellapragada, Ratnakar, Keeffe, Jill
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/308; 692/699; 692/700; Aging; Comorbidity; Disabilities; Disability; Education; Geriatrics; Health care; Humanities and Social Sciences; Morbidity; multidisciplinary; Older people; Questionnaires; Rehabilitation; Risk factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15943-8

We report prevalence and risk factors for multimorbidity and multi-disability among elderly people in residential care in the Hyderabad region in South India. In total, 1182 elderly (aged ≥ 60) participants were examined in 41 homes for the aged centres. Detailed interviews were conducted by trained personnel to collect personal and demographic information. A questionnaire was used to assess the history of non-communicable diseases and Washington Disability Questionnaire (WDQ) was administered to assess disabilities. The mean age of the participants was 75.0 years (SD 8.8 years; range: 60–108 years), 35.4% were men, 20.3% had no formal education, 60.7% had school education and 19% had higher education. The prevalence of multimorbidity was 37.6% (95% CI: 34.8–40.4). Prevalence of multi-disability was 23.6% (95% CI: 21.2–26.3; n = 270). In total, 857 (72.5%) participants reported using at least one medication for NCDs. Over a third of the elderly in residential care had multimorbidity, and a quarter of them had multi-disability. A holistic health care system that comprises health and wellness coupled with rehabilitation to address disabilities is needed to achieve healthy aging in elderly in homes for the aged in India.