Many Older Adults Face New Disabilities After Hospital Stays for Serious Illnesses

A study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that older adults often face new disabilities following hospitalization for a serious illness, reports Medical Xpress . These new disabilities can mean a return to the hospital, being placed in a nursing home, and more permanent deterioration to well-being. The researchers considered 515 people 70 or older who lived at home at the study's outset — and who had no disability and did not need assistance for bathing, dressing, walking inside the house, or getting out of a chair. At one and six months after hospitalization, disability was common for participants, which made it hard for them to leave home for medical care. Disabilities included being unable to dress, walk across a room, get in or out of a chair, walk a quarter-mile, climb a flight of stairs, and drive. Disability at one and six months after hospitalization also was frequent for activities people need to take care of themselves, like preparing meals and taking medications. Significant numbers of subjects had new disabilities after hospital stays, which hindered bathing, simple housework, taking medication, and walking a quarter-mile. Those who recovered spent one to two months doing so post-hospitalization, and recovery often was incomplete even six months after.