The relationships between dysphagia risk, frailty, and depression in older adults living in nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the relationships between the risk of dysphagia, frailty, and depression in older adults living in nursing homes.

METHODS

This correlational study was conducted with 205 older adults living in a nursing home in Istanbul, Turkey. Data were collected using the Turkish Eating Assessment Tool (T-EAT-10), the Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS), and the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-15).

RESULTS

The prevalence of risk of dysphagia was 21.5 %, the prevalence of frailty was 69.3 %, and the prevalence of depression was 63 %. The risk of dysphagia alone, frailty alone, and dysphagia risk along with gender were significant predictors of depression. The risk of dysphagia alone, depression alone, and dysphagia risk along with age were significant predictors of frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

As the risk of dysphagia increases, so do frailty and depression. Depression is higher in women. Increased frailty is associated with increased depression. As age increases, frailty also increases.