Factors Associated With Cognitive Status in the Elderly

Primary outcomes

1. Center for Disease Control and Prevention Health-Related Quality of Life-4 Scale

   Time frame: Two years

   The quality of life of the elderly participants was evaluated with the first question of the CDC HRQOL-4 scale. The Turkish validity-reliability study of the scale is a short and understandable scale used to evaluate the quality of life. This scale consists of 4 questions evaluating the general health of the participants, their physical and mental health in the last 30 days, and how activities such as self-care, work, school, and hobbies have been affected by their physical or mental problems in the last 30 days. In question 1, general health was defined as excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor. In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th questions, the number of days in the last 30 days when the participant felt unwell physically and mentally, and the number of days the person could not perform his daily activities due to physical and/or mental problems are recorded.

2. Standardized Mini-Mental Test

   Time frame: Two years

   Standardized Mini-Mental Test was applied to determine the cognitive levels of the participants. For the illiterate elderly, SMMT, which is used for the uneducated, was applied in our study. In this test, orientation (10 points), recording memory (3 points), attention and calculation (5 points), recall (3 points) and language (9 points) were collected under 5 main headings. It consists of 11 items and is evaluated over a total of 30 points. Results; 27-30 points are within normal limits, 24-27 points are mild cognitive impairment, below 24 points are considered severe cognitive impairment. The Turkish validity and reliability study of the questionnaire was conducted in 2002.

3. Geriatric Depression Scale

   Time frame: Two years

   The scale was prepared for the geriatric individuals to easily mark and answer "yes" or "no". It consists of 30 questions. In the scoring of the scale, 1 point is given for each response in favor of depression and 0 point is given for the other answer, and the result is accepted as the depression score. Scoring of the scale was made as "no depression" with 0-10 points, "possible depression" with 11 points, and "definite depression" with 14 and above points. When 14 is taken as the threshold value for Geriatric Depression Scale scores, its specificity approaches 100%. A validity and reliability study of the Geriatric Depression Scale was conducted in the Turkish elderly population.

4. Assessment of Pain

   Time frame: Two years

   The chronic pain status in 10 different body regions of the individuals were assessed in the study. The presence of pain (present or absent) and severity of pain in geriatric individuals were evaluated with a 6-point Likert-type scale (0=no pain, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe, 4=very severe, 5=unbearable). This pain scale was preferred in order to make it easier for geriatric individuals to understand the severity of pain.