The research was recently published online by the journal The Gerontologist. The authors of the study interviewed 350 homeless adults over the age of 50 in Oakland, Calif.
Here are three things to know about the study.
1. The study participants lived in one of four primary environments — unsheltered locations, shelters and hotels, with family or friends, or in rental housing for the recently homeless.
2. Overall, 38.9 percent of participants reported difficulty performing an activity of daily living, 33.7 percent experienced a fall in the 6 months prior, 25.8 percent showed cognitive impairment, 45.1 percent had vision impairment and 48 percent screened positive for urinary incontinence.
3. The rates of geriatric conditions seen in homeless adults were higher than the prevalence of the same conditions measured in housed adults 20 years older.
Senior author of the study Margot B. Kushel, MD, of the University of California San Francisco explained how housing instability and geriatric conditions are connected.
“One of the ways we handle geriatric conditions is we make changes to the environment, add grab bars in the bathroom, we light their path to the bathroom with nightlights to prevent a fall,” Dr. Kushel told Reuters Health. “When people are in unstable environments, we can’t do that.”
More articles on homelessness and healthcare:
Homeless man’s death spurs vaccination campaign in Boston
Study links housing stability with individual healthcare expenditures
Homelessness crisis doesn’t sit well with Valley View Hospital CMO Dr. Alan Saliman
