Dependency in the arthrosic elderly and nursing intervention

Abstract

Artrhosis, as an osteoarticular degenerative disease, is closely related to the capacity of the individual's independency, above all that of the elderly, whose response to the necessity of movement is much more complex and is conditioned by both organic and physiological factors. Furthermore, there are psychological, economic, social, cultural aspects which make, not only the necessity but the pleasure of movement, an actual torture for the elderly, apart from decreasing his/her capacity of independency considerably. We carry out in this research an appreciation of such conditioning in the elderly who need prosthetic treatment in the joints of the hip and knee. Moreover, we test the necessity of implementing the nursing intervention, in this kind of patients, which take advantege of the therapeutic resources through a suitqable health education.