Sociodemographic profile, family aspects, perception of health, functional capacity and depression in institutionalized elderly persons from the north coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: to describe sociodemographic and family relationships, health status, depression and degree of functional capacity in institutionalized elderly persons in eleven long-term care facilities for the elderly in the north coastal region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out of 60 institutionalized elderly persons without cognitive impairment, confirmed by a score greater than 13 in the Mini Mental State Exam. Questionnaires were used to obtain data on sociodemographic conditions, family relationships, and self-perception of health. Functional capacity was evaluated with the Barthel Index and the Geriatric Depression Scale was applied. Results: A predominance of women, widowed and single, with a of low level of education and precarious financial status, most of whom who did not have children, was observed. The elderly persons complained about difficulty walking (38.3%), generalized pain (16.7%) and vision problems (13.3%). The majority (95%) reported suffering from two to three chronic diseases and making daily use of three or more drugs. Although 55% of the participants presented depressive symptoms and morbidity, they reported functional independence and 50% rated their health as good. Conclusions: These data contributed to the knowledge of the health status and functional capacity of these institutionalized elderly persons, aiming to improve the care provided to this public.

Quality of life of institutionalized aged with and without symptoms of depression

“…In this study, 52.5% of the elders presented signs and symptoms of depression, similar to two national surveys, one in Rio Grande do Sul (12) , where 55% of the elders residing in private institutions presented depression, and another in the Brazilian Northeast, precisely in Maceió, capital of Alagoas (27) , where 58% of institutionalized elders presented depression. In Spain, in Salamanca city (19) the prevalence was 67.7%.…”

“…The findings related to the prevalence of older people with higher education level were different from two Spanish studies also in private institutions in Soria city (18) and in the district of Abadengo in Salamanca (19) . The income of the elderly in this study is considered high, equal to or higher than 15 minimum wages, which differs from the study conducted in the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, with the predominantly illiterate elderly and with monthly income between one and two minimum wages (12) . Public retirement followed by financial investments were the main sources of income, findings consistent with studies conducted in the southeastern and southern regions of Brazil (20)(21) and contrary to those of the northeastern region, whose incomes came from craft activities in 68.8% and retirement in 12.5% (22) .…”

“…Thus, the sample consisted of 101 (15.54%) residents. The sample included the elders of both genders, age ≥ 60 years, residents for at least three months and who presented favorable conditions for understanding the questionnaires, according to the Mini Mental Condition Examination (MMCE) of 19 points or more for literate (12) . The elders who did not agree to participate in the study, who had lowered their level of consciousness, impaired cognition, and who did not speak or understand the Portuguese language were excluded.…”

“…A significant social and health challenge in HFA is the high prevalence of depression, pointing to functional limitation as the main cause worldwide (11) . The literature reports a variation from 48% to 60% of depression among institutionalized aged people and indicates other causes for the presence of depressive symptoms, such as the fact that they live alone, are widows and are institutionalized (12) .…”

Escala de depressão geriátrica como instrumento assistencial do enfermeiro no rastreio de sintomas depressivos em idosos institucionalizados

“…Mediante o crescente aumento da população idosa no Brasil interligado as dificuldades dos familiares no processo de cuidar, a busca por Instituições de Longa Permanência (ILPIs) no país tornou-se crescente (GUTHS et al, 2017).…”