Impact of cognitive impairment on activities of daily living among older adults of North India

BACKGROUND: Older persons are at risk of developing cognitive impairment, often considered a precursor to more severe conditions, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Cognitive impairment among older adults is one of the most rapidly growing burdens, especially in developing countries. AIM: To assess the impact of cognitive impairment on activities of daily living (ADL) among older adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 135 older adults visiting a selected tertiary care centre in Uttarakhand (India) during December 2020, recruited using total enumerative sampling. Data were collected using standardized and validated tools that consisted of socio-demographic information, Hindi Mental Status Examination, and Everyday Abilities Scale for India. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23, including descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and median) and inferential statistics (Chi-square test, binary logistic regression). RESULTS: The results with pooled analysis have shown that 30% of the older adults had mild cognitive impairment, 9% had moderate cognitive impairment, and 61% had normal cognition. About 16% of the older adults’ ADL were affected. The statistically significant predictors for cognitive impairment were age group 80 years [odds ratio (OR) = 36.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 6.23–210.59], Muslim religion (OR = 6.26; 95% CI = 1.12–34.93), and middle-class families (OR = 11.95; 95% CI = 1.84-77.78). CONCLUSION: A considerably large proportion of the older adults had cognitive impairment, which further impacted activities of daily living. There is an urgent need to develop geriatric mental health services across all hospitals in the region.