Functional elderly assessment <b>[Abstract in English]</b>

Abstract

Aims: To evaluate the occurrence of functional disability in ambulatory eldery persons, and their association with activities of daily living. Methods: Patients sixty years or older, who had been in a general-geriatric service at a teaching hospital, were interviewed in order to detect visual impairment, hearing loss, arm and leg disfunction, urinary incontinence, poor nutrition, cognitive deficits, depression, disabilities in the activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living, between January and June of 2007. Results: Of the 148 patients, whose mean age was 77,5±8,2 years, 105 (70,9%) were women, 136 (91,9%) were white, 31 (20,9%) had urinary incontinence, 25 (13,5%) had cognitive deficit, 71 (47,9%) had poor nutrition, 30 (20,3%) had symptoms of depression, 31 (20,9%) had visual impairment, 25 (16,9%) had hearing impairment, 25 (16,9%) had disabilities in their activities of daily living, and 14 (9,5%) and 48 (32,5%) had respectively arm and leg limitations. Significant association was found between hearing, cognitive, arm and leg impairments, and disabilities in activities of daily living. Conclusions: Recognizing functional disability that cause damages in individual autonomy is important in elderly patients, because they interfere in activities of daily living. KEYWORDS: WORK CAPACITY EVALUATION; GERIATRIC ASSESSMENT; AGED; ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING.