Functional and cognitive changes in community-dwelling elderly: Longitudinal study

Abstract

| Background: The relationship between aging and increased life expectancy in the overall population likely contributes to a higher frequency rate and incidence of illnesses and functional disabilities. Physical dependence and cognitive impairment might hinder the performance of activities and result in an overload of care duties for the patient's family and the healthcare system. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the functional and cognitive changes exhibited by the elderly over a 6-month period. Method: This longitudinal and observational study was conducted in a sample of 167 elderly people, who were selected from the database of the Network of Studies on Frailty in Brazilian Elderly, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais -UFMG. The participants submitted to the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), Katz Index, Lawton and Brody's scale and responded to items on Advanced Activities of Daily Living (AADLs). We analyzed the data using multivariate regression models. Results: The participants' functional capacity exhibited reduced performance of specific instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), p=0.002, and basic activities of daily living (BADLs), p=0.038. Living alone (odds ratio (OR), 2.53; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.09-5.87) and work status (OR, 2.52; 95% CI, 1.18-5.41) were associated with changes in the IADLs. The scores in the AADL scale (p=0.163) and MMSE (p=0.059) did not exhibit any significant difference during the study period. The participants with better cognitive function were more independent in their performance of AADLs and IADLs. Conclusion: The results depict specific patterns of loss and stability of functional capacity in community-dwelling elderly.Keywords: elderly; activities of daily life; cognition; rehabilitation. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE

Equilíbrio, quedas e funcionalidade em idosos com alteração da função cognitiva

“…31 The results of the present study show that greater cognitive impairment is correlated with worse functionality, and that this was not observed when comparing elderly individuals with MCI and MID.…”

“…Fiqueiredo et al 31 also correlated the MMSE score with activities of daily living and reported that individuals with better cognitive performance were more dependent while performing these daily activities.…”

Atividade Física Relacionada Aos Sintomas Depressivos E Estado Cognitivo De Idosas

“…Contudo, neste estudo quase a totalidade das idosas não apresentaram déficit cognitivo, aspecto este que parece estar relacionado à participação no grupo de idosos e à realização das atividades cognitivas, recreativas e físicas que são praticadas, como as realizadas no Cati -São José/ SC (RIBEIRO; NERI, 2012;CASAGRANDE;CARPES, 2013;FIGUEIREDO et al, 2013;DIAS et al, 2014).…”

The Pilates method improves the relationship agonist-antagonist flexor and extensor knee in elderly: a randomized controlled trial.

“…(3) In Brazil, it is estimated that by the year 2025, the elderly population will be around 30 million. (4,5) This growth will lead to increased concern of health professionals, to contribute to a healthy and independent old age, in order to preserve or improve the functional autonomy of these people, so that, they can grow old with a higher quality of life. (6)(7)(8) A process that occurs at this stage of life and can harm healthy aging is sarcopenia, which leads to loss of muscle strength, predominantly in the lower limbs, and the quadriceps muscle, the more committed on aging.…”