Abstract

TAVARES, Darlene Mara dos Santos  and  DIAS, Flavia Aparecida. Functional capactiy, morbidities and quality of life of the elderly. Texto contexto - enferm. [online]. 2012, vol.21, n.1, pp. 112-120. ISSN 0104-0707.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-07072012000100013.

This study was performed with the objective to describe the sociodemographic profile, functional capacity and morbidities of the elderly, and verify the association between quality of life and the number of functional incapacities and of morbidities. This analytical and cross-sectional study was performed with 2,142 elderly individuals. The data were collected at the subjects' homes using a structured instrument. The analysis consisted of frequency distribution, ANOVA-F and the Bonferroni test (p<0.05). Most subjects were female, between 60├70 years old, married, with 4├8 years of education, and income of one minimum salary. Most subjects had between 1├3 functional incapacities, related to mobility, and 4├7 associated morbidities, with the most prevalent being those affecting their sight and back, and hypertension. The highest quality of life scores were for social relationships and sensory functioning, and the lowest for the physical domain and autonomy. It was found that the higher numbers of functional incapacities and morbidities were associated with lower quality of life scores.

Keywords : Aging; Elderly; Geriatric nursing; Quality of life.