Mobility as a factor in incontinence in elderly men in long term care

Abstract

This was a two group comparison study. It compared the specific aspects of mobility: strength, balance, walking ability and manual dexterity in incontinent and continent elderly men who reside in a VA long-term care setting. Orem·s Self-care framework provided the theoretical base for the study. Student's t tests were used to test for differences between continent and incontinent subjects for three aspects of mobility: strength, balance and walking ability. A chi-square was used to test for differences in manual dexterity. Group differences in demographics were analyzed. No significant differences were found between the two groups on study variables. Small sample .size was the major limitation to the study. However, this study provides a basis for future research on a complex major problem facing the elderly. It also provides useful clinical measures, with evidence of reliability and validity with elders, for use by nurse clinicians in assessing mobility.