Physical and Mental Health Relationships in the Very Old

A descriptive, correlational study was conducted to examine the physical and mental health status of 80-year-olds. Thirty-seven community-dwelling adults, aged 80 and over, were interviewed about their physical health, psychological well-being, and demographic characteristics. Both descriptive and correlational data indicated that overall these older adults were positive about both their physical health and psychological well-being. However, depression emerged as a significant problem for 24% of the sample and was strongly related to physical health problems. Results are discussed in relation to both health needs and stereotypic beliefs about the very old.