Capacidad funcional y nivel cognitivo de adultos mayores residentes en una comunidad en el sur de Brasil

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the functional capacity and cognitive level of elderly people living in the urban area of a city in Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil. Method: Quantitative, descriptive and transversal study; which one had the participation of 368 elderly people. To collect the data were used: identification questionnaire, Mini-Mental, Katz Index and the Lawton Scale. In the analysis were used the descriptive statistic and the Fisher's exact test. Results: There were a predominance of women (64.9%), 60-70 years old (43.8%), married (46.5%), with some degree of schooling (90.8%). Regarding functional capacity, 85% are independent for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) and 93.48% are independent for Activities of Daily Living (ADL). Conclusion: The study reveals a significant percentage of independent elderly people for ADL performance, but in need of help for IADL.