Functional capacity and risk of falls in the elderly

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the functional capacity and the risk of falls in elderly people. Methods:cross-sectional study with 122 elderly subjects. Data collection was done through an interview with aid of the instruments Fall Risck Score and Functional Independence Measure. The Pearson’s Chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test were used to analyze the data for association of variables. Results: a total of 72.1% of elderly had already suffered a fall and 96.7% had a Functional Independence Measure greater than 104, being functionally independent. Conclusion: the elderly presented complete independence in most of the items related to daily life activities; however, they are at risk of falls related to other factors, such as possible previous history of this event. According to the Functional Independence Measure, the main points of dependence are directly related to poor social conditions. Communication, problem solving and memory were the most affected aspects.