Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of the study participants
| Variable | N=212 |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 81.8 (8.4) |
| Male, N (%) | 101 (47.6) |
| Living arrangements before admission, N (%) | |
| Independent | 172 (81.1) |
| Assisted living/senior residence | 31 (14.6) |
| Nursing home/other | 9 (4.2) |
| Marital status, N (%) | |
| Widow/widower | 94 (44.5) |
| Married or living together | 71 (33.6) |
| Single or divorced | 46 (21.8) |
| Education, N (%) | |
| Primary school | 36 (18.7) |
| Elementary technical/domestic science school | 41 (21.2) |
| Secondary vocational education | 65 (33.7) |
| Higher level high school/third-level education | 51 (26.4) |
| Born in the Netherlands, N (%) | 158 (76.0) |
| Katz-ADL (6-item) score* upon admission, median (IQR) | 3.0 (1.0-5.0) |
| MMSE score†, mean (SD) | 23.7 (4.7) |
| Polypharmacy‡, N (%) | 159 (75.0) |
| Hospitalisation in past 6 months, N (%) | 61 (31.1) |
| Charlson Comorbidity Index§, mean (SD) | 2.8 (2.0) |
| Primary admission diagnosis, N (%) | |
| Infectious diseases | 60 (28.3) |
| Respiratory (including pneumonia) | 54 (25.5) |
| Gastrointestinal | 9 (4.2) |
| Cardiovascular | 20 (9.4) |
| Neurological | 16 (7.5) |
| Other (eg, falls, delirium, sudden unexplained functional decline) | 53 (25.1) |
*Score ranging from 0 to 6, with a higher score indicating more dependence in activities of daily living.36
†Score ranging from 0 to 30, with a score of ≤23 indicating possible cognitive impairment.31
‡Use of five drugs or more.
§Ranging from 0 to 31, with a higher score indicating more severe comorbidity.39
ADL, activities of daily living; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination.