No abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the self-perception of memory in elderly illiterate with mild cognitive impairment, before and after workshops of cognitive stimulation adapted for illiterate individuals. The research was qualitative, held at the Health Unit of Taguatinga-DF, involving 63 elderly illiterate: 22 in the experimental group (EG), with 10 workshops; 21 in control group 1 (CG1), with 10 lectures; and 20 in the control group 2 (GC2), without intervention. Semi-structured interviews were carried on before and after the interventions, asking about memory status. The activities offered weekly to EG and CG1 have had two hours of duration. The mean age of the participants was 72.8 years, and 92% were female. In pre-intervention, 82% reported worsening memory during the last year. In post-intervention, CG1 and CG2 kept memory changes, while EG improved cognition. One concludes that the provided workshops and lectures improved functionality and socialization / integration.

The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the factors associated with the mortality of elderly Italians diagnosed with coronavirus who resided in institutions or who were hospitalized because of the disease. Methods: A systematic review following the recommendations of The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) was carried out, utilizing the PEO strategy, i.e., Population, Exposure and Outcome. In this case, the population was the elderly aged over 65 years old, the exposure referred to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the outcome was mortality. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI/PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS), Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases were used until 31 July 2020. Results: Five Italian studies were included in this meta-analysis, with the number of elderly people included varying between 18 and 1591 patients. The main morbidities presented by the elderly in the studies were dementia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Conclusions: The factors associated with the mortality of elderly Italian people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 who lived in institutions or who were hospitalized because of the disease were evaluated. It was found that dementia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hypertension were the main diagnosed diseases for mortality in elderly people with COVID-19.

The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the factors associated with mortality of elderly Italians diagnosed with the new coronavirus who resided in institutions or who were hospitalized as a result of the disease. Methods: A systematic review following the recommenda-tions of The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI), where the PEO strategy was utilized - Population, Exposure and Outcome. P, being the elderly over 65 years old. E, the SARS-CoV_2 pandemic. O, mortality. The NCBI / PubMed, LILACS, EMBASE and CINAHL databases were used until July 31, 2020.; Results: Five Italian studies were included in the meta-analysis, with the number of elderly people varying between 18 and 1591 patients. The main morbidities presented by the elderly in the studies were: dementia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hypertension. Conclusions: The factors as-sociated with the mortality of elderly Italian people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 who lived in in-stitutions or who were hospitalized because of the disease were evaluated. It was found that de-mentia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hypertension are the main the main diagnosed dis-eases for mortality in elderly people with Covid-19.

Objective: To verify the association between religiosity and functional capacity in the elderly. Method: a systematic review of literature in the SciELO, Lilacs, MEDLINE/ PubMed and the portal of CAPES Journals databases was performed. The descriptors were selected through the list of Descriptors in Health Sciences (Decs) and Medical Subject Headings (Mesh). Original articles in Portuguese and English, published between 2007 and 2017, with a sample composed of elderly persons aged 60 years or more were included. Systematic or integrative reviews, case studies, scale validation studies, dissertations and theses and studies on religious social support were excluded, as well as articles that included elderly persons and adults in the sample. Result: 280 articles were identified, of which six were included in this review. Religiosity was associated with improved functional capacity and coping with disability and the delay of functional decline in the elderly. Different aspects of religiosity were associated with functional capacity, such as participation in religious activities, religious leadership role performance and religious beliefs and traditions. In three articles the positive association between religiosity and functional capacity was linked only to public religious activities and not to intrinsic religious practices. Conclusion: religiosity is significantly and positively associated with the functional capacity of the elderly. The association between intrinsic religiosity and functional capacity is still unclear.

Muscle quality (the ratio of strength to lean muscle mass) might be a better indicator of muscle function than strength alone. Differences in muscle quality index (MQI) between octogenarians and young older adults remain unclear. The aims of the present cross-sectional study were to compare (1) MQI between octogenarians and young older adults, (2) lab versus field-based MQI tools, and (3) determine possible confounding factors affecting MQI in older adults. Compiled data from two cross-sectional studies included 175 younger and older adults (31 men and 144 women) with a mean age of 75.93± 9.49 years. Participants with age ≥ 80 years old were defined as octogenarians (n= 79) and < 80 years was defined as young older adults (n= 96). Laboratory MQI was derived from the ratio of grip strength to arm muscle mass (in kg) measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Field-based MQI was quantified from the ratio of grip strength to body mass index (BMI). Octogenarians displayed lower field (P= 0.003) and laboratory MQI (P< 0.001) as compared with young older adults. There was a strong correlation effect between field MQI and laboratory MQI (P= 0.001, R= 0.85). BMI (P= 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (P= 0.001) negatively affected MQI. Women presented lower MQI (P= 0.001) values than men. In light of this information, rehabilitation specialists should consider the use of fieldbased MQI as a tool for evaluation and follow-up of older population.

O artigo sugere a elaboração de políticas públicas para a educação gerontológica, a partir de uma pesquisa realizada com jovens e idosos do Distrito Federal sobre intergeracionalidade, buscando o significado do envelhecimento e sua correlação com a existência ou não de preconceitos para esses dois grupos. Além disso, investigou-se também a ação de algumas escolas com relação à formação de valores e atitudes com vista à superação de preconceitos e à aproximação entre as gerações. Os dados foram coletados por meio da aplicação de um questionário sociodemográfico, da Escala para Avaliação de Atitudes em Relação ao Idoso e do Inventário Sheppard. Constatou-se a inexistência de atividades voltadas aos idosos e o distanciamento desses com outras gerações nas escolas pesquisadas. Os dados da pesquisa sugerem que a educação gerontológica deva fazer parte da elaboração de políticas públicas e do currículo escolar, com objetivo de aproximar gerações, visando à superação de possíveis preconceitos e possibilitando a troca de experiências e a melhoria da qualidade de vida ou a inserção social do idoso na vida escolar.

O presente artigo é fruto de uma pesquisa de campo quali-quantitativa que embasou uma dissertação de mestrado. A pesquisa buscou conhecer a opinião de alunos de escolas públicas do Ensino Fundamental e Médio do Distrito Federal (DF) e de idosos da mesma comunidade a respeito do envelhecimento e sua correlação com a existência ou não de preconceitos. Buscamos averiguar se um grupo de escolas desenvolve algumas ações voltadas à formação de hábitos, valores e atitudes direcionadas à superação de preconceitos e à aproximação entre as gerações (intergeracionalidade). Os dados foram coletados por meio de três instrumentos: 1) aplicação de um questionário sócio-demográfico e da Escala para Avaliação de Atitudes em Relação ao Idoso validada por Neri; 2) avaliação de oito propostas pedagógicas de escolas públicas do Ensino Fundamental e Médio do DF, que nos permitiram conhecer a dinâmica do contexto pesquisado; e 3) realização de 18 entrevistas, sendo cinco com jovens das escolas, oito com diretores (cujas propostas pedagógicas foram analisadas), e cinco com idosos (residentes na área central de Brasília). Diante dos resultados do presente estudo, podemos afirmar que predominaram atitudes mais positivas do que negativas em ambos os grupos. Não obstante, ao confrontá-los com as entrevistas, percebemos que os entrevistados responderam a questões similares às apresentadas na Escala Neri de forma mais negativa. Inferimos que este fato se deva à existência de preconceito implícito em relação ao idoso e à velhice. Outra constatação importante é a inexistência de atividades voltadas aos idosos, e/ou a aproximação destes com outras gerações nas escolas pesquisadas. Os dados obtidos com esta pesquisa sugerem que a educação gerontológica deve fazer parte do currículo escolar, visando a aproximar gerações e superar possíveis preconceitos, possibilitando a troca de experiências e a melhoria da qualidade de vida de todos.