Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults in the Primary Health Care

Abstract

Justification. National and international statistics show that health teams will have to respond to the need for care of the elderly, recognizing the importance of functional capacity as a variable for assessing their health status.
Objective. To determine characteristics of the elderly that may influence their functional capacity according to the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living.
Design. Quantitative, descriptive-correlational cross-sectional study.
Results. Of 136 individuals studied (61% women) and an average age of 73.28 ± 6.77 years, it was observed that the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living depend significantly on: literacy level (p = 0.002), educational level (p = 0.024), community participation (p = 0.007), nutritional status (p = 0.028) and depression (p = 0.018).

Conclusion. Social, physical and mental factors are related to the functionality of the elderly. It is essential to generate public policies to protect this population group, with a multidisciplinary and systemic approach