ASSESSMENT OF ELDERLY PEOPLE IN GENERAL-PRACTICE .4. DEPRESSION, FUNCTIONAL ABILITY AND CONTACT WITH SERVICES

The aim of this study was to look at the interrelationship between dep ression, physical disability and contact with services. In a random sa mple of 239 people aged 75 years and over from nine general practices in north London, depression (as measured by a shortened version of the comprehensive assessment and referral evaluation schedule) was found to be significantly associated with being a woman, and inability to pe rform a number of activities of daily living. Consumption of three or more prescribed medicines, a home visit by the general practitioner in the previous three months and contact with health visitors and home h elps were all significantly more likely among depressed patients. Ther e were also significant associations between loss of functional abilit ies, measured using items from an activities of daily living scale, an d use of certain services: general practitioner home visits and reduce d mobility indoors and both home help and district nurse visits to tho se with difficulty in bathing. Multiple logistic regression analysis s uggested that contact with services was principally associated with lo ss of mobility, although contact with home helps was independently ass ociated with depression, when adjustment was made for functional impai rment.