Study of Accessibility to the Home of Dependent Elderly People in Rural Areas

Increasing numbers of dependent people are estimated in rural areas due to increased life expectancy. Most of the population residing in rural areas is elderly, which is why many of them are in a situation of dependency. The objective of this study was to analyse accessibility and barriers present in the home and environment of 30 users of the dependency system living in rural areas of an area with high geographic dispersion. For the study, home visits were conducted, and the data were obtained through interviews and observations. Information was gathered regarding the sociodemographic and clinical variables of the users, as well as the present barriers and the use of support products, assistive technologies and sensors, either in the home environment and/or in monitoring systems of body movements. The average age (standard deviation) of the sample was 85 years (±6.7). The majority of users (n = 17, 56.7%) had degree II or III dependency. A total of 56.7% of the users used call-for-help telecare devices without knowledge of other types of systems. All users presented comorbidity. The use of support products and the presence of barriers were frequent.