A randomised controlled trial of regular surveillance in Thai elderly using a simple questionnaire administered by non-professional personnel.

To test the benefits of regular surveillance of the elderly at home using a simple-questionnaire, 142 randomly selected subjects aged 70 years or over and living in a slum area of Bangkok were recruited and were designated as cases (n = 70) and controls (n = 72). At the beginning of the study period all subjects were visited and their characteristics, including morbidity data, activities of daily living (Barthle ADL Index, Chula ADL Index) and number of falls during the last three months, were collected. Over three years the cases were visited every three months, in their own home, by non-professional personnel. They and/or their care-givers were interviewed using a short questionnaire designed for the home visiting programme. The elderly who had problems according to the criteria were visited and assessed by nurses and/or a geriatrician. Appropriate management was provided to these elderly. After three years, all subjects were visited and outcome data were collected. Rates of service use among the cases were higher than among the controls but there was not a statistically significant difference. The rate of declining in Chula ADL Index score of the cases was significantly less than that of the controls. (p < 0.05) There was no statistically significant difference between other main outcomes of the case and control groups. However, regular home visiting of old people at home by non-professional personnel using a simple questionnaire is a practical way for community care of the elderly population living in poor areas.