Dyspnea, Care Dependency, and Frailty in Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Correlational Study

Objective: As chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progresses, older adults have an increased symptom burden, including severe dyspnea. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between dyspnea, care dependency, and frailty in older adults with COPD. Methods: The current study was a descriptive-correlational study. One hundred and five participants were included. Data were collected face-to-face using the Dyspnea-12 Scale, Care Dependency Scale, and Edmonton Frailty Scale. Correlation and regression analysis were performed. Results: The median score for dyspnea was 24 (moderate to high), 61 (low) for care dependency, and 10 (moderate) for frailty. Age (β=0.171, p=.013), COPD stage (β=0.465, p<.001), and income status (β=0.907, p=.049) were the predictors of dyspnea and explained 67.1% of the variance. Age (β=-0.43, p<.001), COPD stage (β = 0.506, p<0.001), and income status (β=- 0.147, p<.001) were also identified as the predictors of care dependency. Besides age and COPD stage, educational status (β=0.172, p<.049) were the predictors of frailty. Conclusions: This study implied that older adults who had advanced stage COPD, were lower educated, had low-income levels, and comorbidities perceived higher care dependency and frailty. Nurses should assess both dyspnea and care dependency to identify older adults with COPD at risk for increased frailty. Studies considering COPD stage, education level, income status, and comorbidities on dyspnea management, and alleviating care dependency and frailty are warranted.