Depression level of the Elderly who attends a Gerontological Center

Abstract

Introduction: Depression is a frequent disorder in older adults and according to the World Health Organization, which by 2020 will be the second cause of disability worldwide. It can usually manifest as sadness. Objective: To identify the level of depression of the older adult person who attends a Gerontological Center. Method: Quantitative, descriptive study, 56 people over 60 were included, from a Gerontological Center; A sociodemographic data card and the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale with a reliability of Cronbach's Alpha of .87 were applied. Results: n = 56, 71.4% were women, with an average age of 71.46 ± 7.483 years; 69.6% of older adults found normal depression, 26.8% and 3.6%. Discussion: In the study entitled "Effect of occupational therapy in the elderly with depression", conducted by López and Colombia in 2017 with a total of 31 older adults, it is said that the majority were women with 67.7%. Finding similarity to his study where 83.9% does not present depression. Conclusions: In the present study it was found that according to the results that 69.6% of older adults were found with normal depression.