Analysis of the functional capacity of elderly residents of communities with a rapid population aging rate

Abstract

Introduction: The elderly population has risen sharply in Brazil, increasing the need for a health policy focused on health promotion and disease prevention. Attention should also be focused on functional capacity because of the personal and family suffering caused by dependency, as well as the increased demand placed on public services. Objective: To check the health and functional capacity of elderly residents in a small town with a high population aging rate. Methods: A cross-sectional, analytical and non-probabilistic study was performed of 528 elderly persons aged ≥60 years, of both genders, who were evaluated in their home environment. The variables of interest were general health and functional capacity, assessed by the adapted Katz and Lawton and Brody scales. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive and analytical statistical tools. To assess the association between variables the chi-squared test was used, accepting the hypothesis of dependency of variables with p=0.05. Results: The mean age was 72.24±9.33 years. Functional capacity assessment identified that most of the elderly persons carried out activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) independently; with percentages of 90% and 83.7%, respectively. A statistically significant association was observed ( p=0.001) between reports of falls and functional capacity levels. Conclusion:The results show that the elderly of this municipality are mostly independent in performing their daily tasks, representing successful aging.

Capacidade funcional e fatores associados em idosos residentes em comunidade

“…(3) This finding corroborates that found in a study carried out with elderly people living in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in which the fact that women live longer is not directly related to better health conditions or quality of life. (17) In regard to IADL and AADL according to sex, in our study, women were more dependent, with the exception of total dependence for IADL, which corroborated the literature, with women being more prevalent in all categories of AIDD. (3) When analyzing the age groups, the younger elderly people (60-70 years old) were the majority, which corroborated the data found in a study of 820 elderly people, in which 44.4% (n=250) were in the age group of 60 to 70 years old.…”

“…(18) The majority (44.4%, n=234) of the elderly people had 1-3 SRD, 31.7% (n=168) had 4-6, and 10.5% (n=55) had more than 6 diseases. (17) Decreased functional capacity may be due to a single disease or the sum of these diseases.…”

Ansiedade e sua relação com a qualidade de vida em idosos: revisão narrativa

“…20 Os fatores que impulsionam o envelhecimento populacional são distintos de outras experiências, em parte, pela heterogeneidade econômica, social, cultural e ambiental. 21,22 Junto com o envelhecimento, nota-se o aumento sempenho cognitivo, como a redução da atenção e da velocidade do processamento de informação. 37 As mudanças psicológicas com o envelhecimento resultam da dificuldade de adaptações a novos papéis sociais, falta de motivação, baixa-estima, dificuldade de mudanças rápidas, perdas afetivas e orgânicas, somatização, hipocondria e depressão.…”

Elderly care in the emergency department: an integrative review

“…The need for emergency care of the elderly has gradually increased due to population aging and a changing epidemiological profile 1 . A study carried out in emergency departments in the USA found that the elderly, especially those over 75 years old, have a higher admission rate for emergencies than other age groups, a rate that is likely to increase as the population ages 2 .…”

“…Increased life expectancy can result in the occurrence of problems arising from morphophysiological changes inherent to aging, leading to an increase in chronic diseases, morbidity and functional disability 1 . The elderly are therefore more likely to seek emergency care, and are usually admitted to the hospital twice as often as younger individuals 2 .…”