Anemia in the Elderly Receiving Home Healthcare Service: Association with Their Functional

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 603 - 8, 09.09.2025

Hümeyra Aslaner , Nuray Nursoy , Hacı Ahmet Aslaner

https://doi.org/10.37990/medr.1688847

Abstract

Aim: Anemia is an important health problem that is common in the elderly and results in a decline in quality of life and a rise in mortality and morbidity. This study aims to evaluate anemia prevalence in elderly individuals who are characterized in many respects and who receive home healthcare service and the relationship between the anemia index for activities of daily living and nutritional status.
Material and Method: Our retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of patients above the age of 65 receiving home healthcare services. Demographic information, presence of a chronic disease, nutritional status and Barthel Index for Basic Daily Living Activities of the patients followed up between October 2023 and March 2024 were recorded. Anemia was diagnosed in accordance with the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO) as the serum hemoglobin level was under 13 g/dL in male patients and 12 g/dL in female patients. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: There were a total of 593 people involved in the study. Of the participants in the study, 358 (60.4%) were female. Mean age was 81.1±8.0 years. Mean hemoglobin level was 11.8±2.05 and anemia prevalence was 58.7%. Of the patients, 23.9% took oral nutritional preparations. Anemia was more common in patients receiving oral nutrition preparations and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (p=0.001). When patients were grouped according to their Barthel index, 44.9% were totally dependent. The rate of anemia was higher in the totally dependent group (p=0.001). When assessed in terms of anemia according to the presence of a chronic disease, no statistical difference was detected between the groups (p:0.624).
Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia in the geriatric population receiving home healthcare service was as high as 58.7%. Anemia was detected at a higher rate in totally dependent individuals and in those receiving oral nutrition preparations and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy. Anemia is a condition that needs to be evaluated and managed in bedridden and malnourished elderly individuals receiving home healthcare services.

Keywords

Anemia , barthel , home healthcare services , old age

Ethical Statement

The study’s ethical approval was given by the Ethics Committee of Kayseri City Hospital (Date and Decision No: 25.06.2024 and 124). Institutional permissions were also obtained before the study.

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