Cognitive disorders and some associated social factors in elderly pepole

Cognitive disorders in the elderly are more associated with symptoms of depression. Existing data about cognitive disorders in the elderly is very rare. In this account, the purpose of this study was to determine the cognitive disorders and some related Social factors in the elderly people in Semnan (Iran).
In this cross-sectional study, 260 elderly people aged 60 to 80 years old with at least primary education were included in the cluster sampling method resident in Semnan (Iran), in 2015. The households were systematically selected, based on the distribution of health centers in the city, and also according to the population of each center, the elderly of that area were determined and then to one fifth of households in each center. Data collection tools were demographic information questionnaire and cognitive health scale (Mini Mental State Examination, MMSE). The process of completing the questionnaires was that the elderly responded to the questions independently and was provided adequate and supplementary explanations, if there was any ambiguity about the completion of the questionnaire.
56.5% were female and the rest were male. 18.1% had mild cognitive disorders (21-24 points), 35% had moderate cognitive disorders (10-20%), and 1.2% had severe cognitive disorders (score less than 9%). 34.5% of men and 69.4% of women had cognitive impairment. Cognitive health had a negative significant correlation with age (P=0.001, r= -0.203), with a significant correlation with literacy (r = 0.754, p = 0.001). There was a significant relationship between cognitive health and sex (P Findings showed that more than half of the elderly had cognitive disorders. Conclusively, screening of cognitive disorders especially in women with a low level of education and also the elderly whose spouse's died, can be detected early and prevent the progression of the disorders