Toileting difficulties in older people with and without dementia receiving formal in‐home care—A longitudinal study

AIM: To estimate the prevalence of toileting difficulties over time among older people (≥70 years) with and without dementia receiving formal in‐home care at baseline and to explore whether dementia at baseline was associated with toileting difficulties at the last assessment when adjusting for relevant covariates. We hypothesize that those with dementia have a higher prevalence and that baseline dementia is associated with toileting difficulties at last follow‐up. DESIGN: A longitudinal observational study with three assessments over 36 months. Older people (≥70 years) from 19 Norwegian municipalities with in‐home care needs were included. The participants and their next of kin were interviewed. METHOD: In total, 1,001 (68% women) persons with a mean (SD) age 83.4 (5.7) years participated at baseline. Toileting difficulties were assessed using Lawton and Brody's Physical Self‐Maintenance Scale and Individual Nursing and Care Statistics. Information on physical comorbidity, number of prescribed drugs, cognitive function and formal care given was included. Dementia was diagnosed based on all information gathered. RESULTS: At all time points, toileting difficulties were more prevalent in people with than without dementia. In adjusted analyses, dementia at baseline was associated with toileting difficulties at the last assessment. Nursing home admission was associated with increased odds for toileting difficulties.