Motor parameters and ageing: a study of elderly aged from 60 to 83 years from Ivoti, RS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the motor profile of elderly subjects aged 60 to 83 years from Ivoti, RS, stratified according to gender (140 female and 62 male subjects) and age level (60 to 70 and above 70 years strata). The descriptive study assessed 202 subjects selected through a convenience sample. The data collecting instrument was the Motor Scale for elderly people by Rosa Neto (2002), composed of tests that measured: fine motor skills, coordination and balance, body schema and speed and, spatial and temporal perception organization. The statistical procedure used in the analysis of the research data was the Student's t-test to compare the means of gender and age level groups through the SPSS 16.0 for Windows. The male 60 to 70 years subjects group classified as “low normal” and “high” and the above 70 years group as “intermediate normal” and “very low" in the motor test. The female subjects of both groups classified as “normal intermediate” and “very low” motor levels. Comparing the elderly subjects intermediate results in the tests performed between age levels, the 60 to 70 group scored higher than the above 70 one (pD0,05). It can be concluded that the male group scored higher than the female counterpart in all tests performed, except in the balance and temporal organization tests, in the above 70 year group.

Key words – Elderly. Motor profile. Motor scale.