Healthy Aging & Clinical Care in the Elderly

Prospective studies of whether sense of coherence (SOC) affects perceived health over time in cognitively intact older adults are rare. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the association between perceived health one year after hospitalization (T2) and SOC at baseline (T1) among persons aged 65 years or more without cognitive impairment. Patients at a public general hospital in Norway were followed up 1 year after inclusion. At T1, SOC, depression and anxiety, physical health and functional status were assessed. Hospitalizations between T1 and T2 were recorded. At T1 and T2 44 (44.0%) and 51 (52.5%), respectively, perceived their health as good. The odds for good perceived health at T2 were reduced in people who had been hospitalized between T1 and T2. Gender and SOC at T1 interacted on perceived health at T2; men with a low SOC and women with a medium high SOC had reduced odds for perceiving their health as good at T2. The SOC had limited importance for perceived health one year after hospitalization in this sample of older people. Thus, the importance of including SOC in rehabilitation programs after hospitalization is questionable.