Introduction: The aim of this study is to assess functional capacity and determine the factors associated with functional decline in the elderly in adult day care centres and home care support in the County of Coimbra, Portugal.Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study. A total of 115 participants of both genders, aged between 65 and 98, were enrolled in the home care support and adult day care system of the County of Coimbra, Portugal. Functional capacity was assessed using the Barthel index and the Lawton index. Another questionnaire gathered social, demographic and health status information.Results: The basic activities of daily living were significantly associated with age, cohabitation, medication usage, falls and multiple morbidity. Analysis of the study’s variables and the instrumental activities of daily living found significant associations between age, institutional affiliation, perceived health status, hospitalizations, medication usage, physical exercise, multiple morbidities, falls, and fall prevention.Discussion: The results demonstrate that no statistically observable differences were found between gender and functional dependence. A significant association between the Barthel index and cohabitation was also found. We should also highlight that this sample revealed the extremely important role of families in determining the protection of highly dependent older people. Likewise, a significant association was observed between instrumental activities of daily living and levels of physical activity in which greater independence was found in those seniors who practiced physical exercise three or more times per week.Conclusion: The results of this study allow us to identify factors that may be associated with the functional decline in the elderly. Useful evidence for the adoption of intervention strategies in the elderly population was added, focused on the prevention of functional decline and maintenance of the functional capacities of the elderly.

The literature has shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has indelibly affected student performance. However, this deterioration is not the same for all students, with students of a lower socio-economic status (SES) being the most affected. The present study aims to understand if the pandemic lockdown in the last year of pre-school impacted the learning skills considered crucial for the transition to primary school, and whether this impact was moderated by SES or a quiet place to study (QPS). A total of 11,158 students belonging to 318 Portuguese schools underwent an assessment protocol composed of writing skills, maths, and motor-control tasks. A pandemic effect was observed for writing skills, especially during the first lockdown. Said effects were found to be potentiated by SES. Regarding maths, the fall in skills was only observed to be significant for less economically advantaged children. Motor tasks suffered; however, this was without any significant effect for SES or QPS. Thus, a detrimental effect of the pandemic lockdown was found on pre-school skills, particularly pre-literary abilities, and especially during the first lockdown. SES appeared to potentiate some inequalities. In other words, skills differences between individuals with higher and lower SES increased during the pandemic, particularly in the first lockdown, due to novelty, unpredictability, and the need for quick adaptation.

Género e geraçõesNa encruzilhada da família e do género em contexto migratórioAt the cross-way of the family and gender main-streaming in the context of migration À la croisée de la famille et du genre en contexte migratoire