Functioning and Cognition of Portuguese Older Adults Attending in Residential Homes and Day Centers: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The functioning and cognition of older adults can be influenced by different care contexts. We aimed to compare the functioning profiles and cognition of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized older adults and to evaluate the effect of sociodemographic factors on the functioning and cognition. This is a cross-sectional study that included 593 older adults. The data were collected using the Elderly Nursing Core Set and Mini Mental State Examination. Women, older adults who did not attend school and those live in Residential Homes are more likely to have a higher degree of cognitive impairment than men, those who attended school and those frequent Day Centre. The chances of an older adult with moderate or severe cognitive impairment increases with age. Older women, older adults who did not attend school, and older adults who live in Residential Homes had a higher degree of functional problem than men, those who attended school and those who frequent a Day Centre, independently to age. It is necessary to promote the health literacy of older adults throughout life. The implementation of social and health responses should allow older adults to remain in their homes, given the influence of functioning and cognition on self-care and quality of life.

Long-term care units: a Portuguese study about the functional profile

“…We found studies that confirm these results, assuming there are no great differences between the sexes in ages above 65 years and concluding that sex is not a major predictor of dependence levels ( James et al, 2018 ; Ek et al, 2021 ). On the other hand, we have also found evidence from other authors concluding that females experience higher levels of functional dependence ( Schmitz and Lazarevič, 2020 ; Fonseca et al, 2021 ; Lopes et al, 2021 ). It is necessary to take into account the fact that females live longer, so reaching more advanced stages of life gives them a degree of dependence that men do not tend to reach because they die earlier, which is a phenomenon referred to as the “feminization of old age” ( Goes et al, 2020 ).…”

“…There are several recent studies that corroborate these results, indicating that lower levels of education are associated with higher levels of dependence ( Serrano-Alarcón and Perelman, 2017 ; Abalo et al, 2018 ; Coutinho et al, 2018 ; Cui et al, 2019 ). In addition, a Portuguese study that evaluated the functional and cognitive profiles of both the institutionalized and noninstitutionalized older population, as well as the consequence of sociodemographic factors on functionality and cognition, concluded that the lack of education is one of the main predictors of decreased functionality at elderly ages ( Lopes et al, 2021 ).…”

Difficulty with Mobility among the Aged in Ghana: Evidence from Wave 2 of the World Health Organization’s study on Global Ageing and Adult Health

“…As of 1960, life expectancy in Ghana was 46.9 years, however, in 2020, it increased to 63.7 years which is further projected to increase to 70 years by 2050, and 76.2 years by 2100 (Awuviry-Newton et al ., 2021; UN, 2019). Meanwhile, this increase in life expectancy is not tantamount to an increase in good health (Lopes et al ., 2021). This is a clear-cut indication of the impending burden of care for the aged.…”

Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older People with Functional and Nutritional Impairment and Depressive Symptoms: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study in Brazil and Portugal

“…Functionality is an important component in the QoL of older people, as its decline implies a loss of autonomy [ 3 ]. Poor functionality impairs the performance of basic activities of daily living (ADL), which include adequate preparation and consumption of food and activities that promote physical and mental well-being [ 4 ].…”