Feelings of depression in elderly people who benefit from a “Family Health” Solidarity Extension Program. Córdoba Colombia

Sentimientos de depresión en personas mayores beneficiarios de un programa de extensión solidaria “salud familiar” Córdoba Colombia

Objective. To Determine feelings of depression in older people, who benefit from a Family Health Solidarity Extension Program. Materials and methods. Descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, the population selected was 111 adults over 60 years from vulnerable sectors, belonging to the “Family Health” Solidarity Extension Program in the city of Monteria. The information was collected between 2016- II to 2018-I through a database updated by the Yesavage Scale of family medical history. Results. The study subjects live in socioeconomic strata 1, (80%) and 2 (20%). Feelings of depression were evidenced in 27.9% of older people, where mild depression corresponds to 21.6% and the established one 6.3%. The female sex with 18%, being the most representative population affected. Regarding marital status: Married 9% and free union 7.2% which showed higher percentages of depression. Conclusions. The majority of older people showed no feelings of depression. Protective factors were found such as belonging to social and religious groups, to have friends, good family functionality and undoubtedly to belong to the Solidarity Extension Program “Family Health” from Universidad de Córdoba. Increasing depression rates were observed when risk factors appear such as marital problems, abuse, family dysfunctionality and few recreational opportunities. It is concluded that educational, recreational-therapeutic activities, carried out during 2 continuous years by students and nursing teachers influenced positively to avoid or reduce feelings of depression in this vulnerable population.