Introduction. Weight and height are important measurements for many medical procedures. They are difficult to measure in bedridden patients. They can be estimated through equations based on anthropometric measurements generated in other countries, however their adequacy in different ethnical groups has been poorly studied. Objective. To confirm the adequacy of formulae suggested in literature and to develop weight and height predicting equations for Latvian hospitalized seniors which use a tapeline as only tool and include no more than one measurement require turning bedridden patient. Methods. Anthropometric measurements were taken from hospitalized seniors (≥65 years) admitted to the Gerontology Centre, Riga East University Hospital. Actual body height and weight were compared with their estimates calculated from Chumlea, Rabito, Bernal, Lorenz, Crandell equations. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to create weight and height predictive models. The estimated and actual values were compared through a paired sample t-test. Results. 223 hospitalized seniors, 169 women and 54 men, were assessed. There was no significant difference between actual and estimated mean weight by Rabito in females. The Chumlea formula estimated height in both genders. The Chumlea, Bernal underestimated, but Lorenz and Crandell

The society in developed countries is aging. 1.5% of seniors live in nursing homes in Latvia. Aim: to compare functional abilities and wellbeing between nursing home and home living Latvian seniors. Methods: 280 home living seniors and 285 from nursing homes, age ≥ 65 years able to respond to questions and stand up were included in the study based on availability. They were asked to describe their well-being from very bad to very good. The functional abilities were assessed by hand grip strength, the ability to stand up without assistance, the dependence on caregivers (1 -independent, 2 -partly dependent, 3 -fully dependent), the use of walking device assistance devices. Results: The home living seniors could stand up without assistance of hands more often than nursing home residents (60.4% vs. 38.2%, p < 0.001). The handgrip strength was higher in the elderly community-dwelling women (0.3 (0.2-0.3) vs. 0.2 (0.15-0.2) Ba), p < 0.001. The nursing home residents were less often independent (62.8% vs. 83.9%, p < 0.001), more often partly dependent (30.2% vs. 14.6%, p < 0.001) and independent (7.0% vs. 1.4%, p = 0, 001) while performing activities of daily living. The nursing home residents had higher walking device assistance needs (mean rank 345.7 vs. 219.2, p < 0.001) and described their well-being as "good" more often (28.4% vs. 16.8%, p = 0.001) and less often as "bad" or "very bad" (18.9% vs. 26.8%, p = 0.048). Conclusion. The subjective well-being of elderly nurse home residents is better than of home living seniors despite having less functional abilities.

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