Eficacia de un programa de empoderamiento en la capacidad de autocuidado de la salud en adultos mayores mexicanos jubilados

Resumen

INTRODUCTION: Changes in health conditions of older adults is a process affected by issues such as economy, politics, culture,demography, technology, biology, society, and education among others, as well as institutional programs focused on containment and control risk factors of different morbidities. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact and efficacy of an empowerment program in retired older adults’ self-care ability. METHOD: The sample was composed of 250 retired Mexican older adults from Hidalgo with an age rank of 69 and access to health services. Seven tests were applied: Barthel Index, TINETTI Test, Folstein’s MMSE, the Yesavage Test, Older Adult’s Ability and Perception of Self-Care Test, Mini Nutritional Assessment Scale, and a self-report of the Health Empowerment Scale. Self-care perception, functional independence, falling risk, cognitive state, depression symptoms,nutritional status, and empowerment for self-care were compared at the beginning and at the end of the program. RESULTS: Meaningful differences (p < 0.05) in functional, depressive, and nutritional states were observed. Falling risk decreased whereas cognitive state remained unchanged. Self-care ability perception and empowerment also showed substantial differences. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that appropriate training and empowerment of self-care actions may impact the quality of life positively.