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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 17, 2005 Fred Adams, 94, a resident of Northridge, is a typical assisted living resident in many respects with one notable exception: He�s male. Seventy-nine percent of residents in assisted living are female. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Typical assisted-living resident: past 80, medicated By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune The typical assisted-living resident is an 83-year-old woman with a high school education who’s being treated for four chronic medical conditions. "On average, they’re older than people in nursing homes," said Heather Young, a nurse/educator and researcher at Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing at Southern Oregon University. A 2002 survey conducted by the state Department of Human Services assembled a demographic profile of assisted-living residents based on interviews with 297 residents in 14 centers. Seventy-eight percent had heart problems (defined to include high blood pressure); 59.9 percent had mobility problems; and 35.7 percent had gastrointestinal conditions. On average, patients were taking 11 medicines, but some took as many as 25. Two-thirds received assistance in taking their medicines. Advertisement More than one in four (28.6 percent) were taking narcotic pain medication, and 58.9 percent were taking non-narcotic pain medicines. One in three met the testing criteria for depression. Only 3.4 percent were totally independent in walking, requiring neither help from another person nor a cane or a walker. Nearly half (48.6 percent) required some assistance (such as a walker, cane or wheelchair). One in four required more than 30 seconds to rise from a chair, walk 10 feet, turn around, walk back to the chair and sit down. Most (89.2 percent) could feed themselves, and 76.4 percent could dress themselves, but one in three (37.3 percent) required help bathing. Seven in 10 (71 percent) had at least mild dementia, while two in 10 (21.4 percent) had moderate to severe dementia. Assisted-living residents are overwhelmingly female: 79 percent, according to the survey. "If you’re a single man in assisted living, you’re in hot demand," Young said. Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s