Use of ambulatory skin conductance recording for monitoring psychophysiological arousal in the elderly staying in care facilities.

To monitor the psychophysiological arousal level in the elderly, 24 h recordings of skin conductance change (SCC) were done during their stay in care facilities. The mean and maximum SCC levels in 17 awake elderly subjects were significantly lower than those of levels in 20 healthy, young control subjects (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively). The mean SCC levels during sleep did not differ between groups. The SCC trend graph reflected a degree of daily activity. The daytime SCC profile of elderly individuals who could walk independently was comparable to that of healthy young subjects. In contrast, the SCC profile of the bedridden elderly were generally flattened with poor SCC responses that were evoked only by nursing procedures.