2Eskisehir Osman Gazi University, Faculty of Health Sciences- Nursing Department ESKÄ°ÅžEHÄ°R Introduction: Most adults who live to an advanced age become frail. Although not a disease, frailty is a combination of age-related changes and associated medical problems. This descriptive study aimed to determine the pain level and frailty status of elderly females with osteoporosis.
Materials and Method: The present study sample consisted of 105 elderly females with osteoporosis who were admitted to the geriatric outpatient units of two university hospitals. Data were collected using the questionnaire prepared by the author on the basis of a literature review, the Geriatric Pain Scale and the Edmonton Frail Scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, the Kruskal–Wallis H test and correlation analysis.
Results: In total, 6.7% of the elderly females with osteoporosis reported a slight level of pain, 67.3% reported mild pain and 26% reported severe pain. Edmonton Frail Scale mean scores indicated that 16.3% of the subjects had moderate frailty and that 44.2% had severe frailty. Elderly females with osteoporosis who were sad and depressed during the past seven days due to pain were found to be more fragile (p<0.05). In addition, weight loss, depressive symptoms and urinary incontinence were related to frailty (p<0.05). A poor positive significant relationship was found between the mean scores of the Geriatric Pain Scale and the Edmonton Frail Scale.
Conclusion: Nurses and people involved in health care should assess the frailty status of elderly females with osteoporosis, particularly those reporting pain, and be aware of the characteristics, possible symptoms and affecting factors.
Keywords : Aged; Female; Frail Elderly; Geriatrics; Osteoporosis; Pain