سالمندی و مشکلات سلامتی: یک مطالعه مقطعی در شهرستان شاهرود

Objectives: The elderly is raised as an important issue of nations. In our country due to pyramid of the population program ,planning for any service, needs to understanding the real demands of the elderly the study of health problems of elderly was conducted in2009. Methods & Materials: This study was applied the method of cross-sectional study on 1046 people aged 60-69 years rural and urban in Shahroud. Data gathering tool was a questionnaire, 33 questions from the interview, examination and weighing were completed in the elderly. Data analyze using descriptive and analytical tests were performed using the software spss. Results: 61% of elderly were women. 59.8% lived in urban areas. 60% were illiterate and 13% of those were alone. Elderly problems were 44.7% sleep, 23% hearing, 62% vision, 45.2% of foot, 21.7% constipation, 45.3% impairment of memory, 14.8% of urinary tract, 90.8% stress and 43% reported dental problems. In this study significant relations were found between Sex with joint pain and sleep disorders, living area with visual impairment, visual impairment with education, sleep disorders and dental problems. Conclusion: findings showed that dental, vision, foot and memory were the main problems in the elderly. Development of care and services for the elderly in health and primary health care networks, Health awareness and life skills training to elderly and their families can have an effective role in improving the status of the elderly.