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International Journal of
eISSN: 2577-8269

Family & Community Medicine

Research Article Volume 3 Issue 6

Functional capacity and sociodemographic conditions of elderly people at the Eliza Queiroz Maciel Living Center of Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil

Hurtado-Guerrero Ana Felisa,1 Elizama Andre Gomes Lopes,2 José Camilo Hurtado-Guerrero3

1PhD in Public Health, Escola de Saúde Pública, Escola de Ciências da Saúde da Universidade do Estado do Amazonas - UEA, Brasil
2Nursing of Secretaria Estadual de Saúde no Município de Manacapuru, Bachelor in nursing, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas - UEA, Brasil
3Post-Doc in Animal behavior (University of Alberta), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará - UFOPA, Brasil

Correspondence: José Camilo Hurtado-Guerrero, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará - UFOPA, Instituto de Biodiversidade e Florestas - IBEF, Rua Vera Paz, s/n, Salé, Santarém, PA, Brasil, Tel 55 92 98405-3863

Received: October 28, 2019 | Published: November 6, 2019

Citation: Hurtado-Guerrero AF, Elizama AGL, Hurtado-Guerrero JC. Functional evaluation of the elderly people attended in the Eliza queiroz maciel elderly living center in the municipality of manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil. Int J Fam Commun Med. 2019;3(6):253-261. DOI: 10.15406/ijfcm.2019.03.00166

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Summary

Goals: To evaluate the functional capacity and sociodemographic conditions of the elderly people who were attended in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel elderly living center in the city of Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil with emphasis on functional capacity.

Methods: Cross-sectional quantitative approach.

Results: Among the 78 elderly participants, women (83.3%), widows (41.0%), and between 65-69 years old (37.2%), brown (46.1%), Catholic (76.9%), incomplete elementary school (35.9%), 4 to 6 children (30.8%), retired (78.2%), monthly income 1 to 3 minimum wages (73.1%), home of masonry (75.6%) and own home (88.5%), with electricity, piped water, garbage collection and sewage services (48.7%). They had, in average, dependence in the Katz ADL (5.1%) and in the Lawton and Brody IADL (16.7%).

Conclusions: It is concluded that this study constitutes an important tool for the manager of the Eliza Queiroz Maciel elderly living center, in the work of prevention of aggravations to the health of the elderly who participate in these activities aiming at improving the quality of life.

Keywords: disability evaluation, functioning aging, gerontology, functional capacity, elderly health

Abbreviations

ADLs, activities of daily life; IADLs, instrumental activities of daily life; UEA, Universidade do Estado do Amazonas; TCLE, termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido (free and informed consent form); AM, Amazonas; SC, Santa Catarina; IBGE, instituto brasileiro de geografia e estatística; PNAD, pesquisa nacional por amostra de domicílio; CE, Ceará; BA, Bahia; CEP, Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa (research ethics committee); CAIMI, Center for Integral Care of the Elderly

Introduction

Brazil, during the 21st century, will be one of the four countries with the fastest aging world population, occupying the sixth place in the world ranking in number of elderly in 2025 and rising from 7.4% in 2013 to a proportion above 35.0% in 2070, even higher than that presented by the group of developing countries.1,2 The elderly are an age group that presents great demand for health services and in this context their evaluation should include not only the diagnosis of physical and mental diseases, but also an understanding of the functional aspects, especially the socioeconomic conditions and self-care capacity, which will reveal the degree of functional independence of the elderly.3 The assessment of functional capacity becomes, therefore, essential for the choice of the best type of intervention and monitoring of the clinical and functional status of the elderly people.4 Functional capacity is defined as the independence for the performance of activities of daily living involving physical, mental and social skills, valuing the autonomy and self- determination of the elderly individual.5 And functional disability refers to the difficulty or need for help for the individual to perform tasks in their daily lives.6

The maintenance of functional capacity is closely related to the autonomy and physical and mental independence of the elderly. The commitment to perform any item of the ADLs and IADLs can affect the maintenance of their functional capacity, impairing autonomy and independence, and can influence their health.7 Thus, when the functional capacity of the elderly is compromised to the point of preventing the individual from taking care of himself, the burden on the family and on the health system can be very great.8 Autonomy is understood here as the ability to perform their daily activities independently and satisfactorily, while independence means the ability to perform activities of daily living without help.9 Thus, if people grow old with their autonomy and independence preserved the difficulties will be less for them, their family and society, because with the ability to perform any activity when they want to live independently and autonomously, exercising their rights and duties as citizens.9

As mentioned,10 functional capacity has been considered an indicator of the health-disease process, since chronic diseases and functional disabilities in the elderly population have been more difficult to prevent than even avoid deaths in the elderly. Functional disabilities also increase the risk of hospitalization, long-term care needs and increase the costs for health services. The functional capacity of the elderly, especially with regard to the motor dimension, is one of the main indicators of successful aging, quality of life and well-being.11 Thus, investigating health-related quality of life in its multidimensionality allows identifying the main aspects related to the health-disease process, since health status is closely linked to quality of life and is influenced by the presence of disabilities in the individual.12 In this sense, this study aimed to evaluate the functional functional capacity and sociodemographic conditions of elderly in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living center in Manacapuru, Amazonas, Brazil seeking to provide information on their quality of life and guide policies for a successful aging, since it is the responsibility of health policies to contribute to more people reaching advanced ages with the best possible health status.

Methods

This is a descriptive cross-sectional research study approach. with analysis of primary data, conducted with 78 elderly people who aere attend in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living center of Manacapuru in the state of Amazonas. The data collection occurred in the period from August 2010 to December 2011. In order to know the sociodemographic characteristics, a questionnaire was prepared and applied through an interview at the study site, in a reserved place, on the days of group activities, before or after the activities, following the recommendations of Gil.13 In order to cover as many subjects as possible, it was necessary to make home visits with the elderly who were absent, i.e., those who participate in the activities, but were not always present at the site for some reason. In the evaluation of functional capacity, widely known instruments were used in national and international gerontological studies, such as the ADL Scale of Katz,14 to measure the Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and the IAVD scale of Lawton and Brody,15 to measure the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs).

The evaluation of the ADLs focuses on the performance of 06 self-care functions, classifying the elderly person as independent, partially dependent and totally dependent for certain activities. In the evaluation of IADLs, which evaluates the elderly in their capacity for social interaction and indicates whether they are able to live independently in their community, the elderly were classified as independent, partially dependent or totally dependent in the performance of nine functions.16 Data analysis used absolute and relative frequency measurements. The organization of the database was in Microsoft Office Excel, version 2010, and the analysis of variables in software Minitab v.14, SPSS v. 20 and Epi Info v.6. This work had the appreciation of the Research Ethics Committee of the University of the State of Amazonas (UEA), according to opinion n0 003/11-CEP/UEA on 25.02.2011. All participants authorized their participation by signing or dactyloscopying printing of the Termo de Consentimento Livre e Esclarecido (TCLE) (Free and Informed Consent Form), in compliance with Resolution 196/96 of the National Health Council on research involving human beings.

Results

Aspects related to socio demographic and economic factors, housing conditions and functional capacity of 78 elderly people were investigated, which is equivalent to 100% of those being attended in the, Eliza Queiroz Maciel, living center of Manacapuru in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. Table 1 shows the predominance of females (83.3%) and low male participation (16.7%). The distribution of the several age groups revealed that 37.2% were between 65 and 69 years old. In relation to schooling, it was verified that incomplete elementary education predominated (35.9%), followed by the illiterate group (25.6%). When the race/color category was analyzed, there was a predominance of those who declared themselves as brown (46.2%), followed by those who declared themselves white (44.9%). In what refers to the naturalness, the majority was natural of other cities of Amazonas (47.4%), the born in Manacapuru reached a percentage of 42,3%, followed by only 10,3% of naturalness of other States of the North Region. In marital status, it was found that the majority were widowers (41.0%), followed by 29.5% of married couples. Regarding religion, 76.9% were Catholic and had 4 to 6 children (30.8%). Regarding occupation, it was observed that 78.2% were retired, followed by occupation at home (11.5%). Regarding the monthly income, it was observed that 73,8% received income of 1 to 3 minimum wages, generally, coming from retirement and pension. As for the type of habitation, the majority lived in houses of masonry (75,6%), lived in their own homes (88.5%), and had access to all basic sanitation services (48.7%) (Table 2).

Variables

n

%

Sex

Male

13

16.7

Female

65

83.3

Marital status

Single

3

3.85

Married

23

29.5

Widower

32

41,0

Separate

13

16.7

Other

7

9.0

Age Group

60-64

21

26.9

65-69

29

37.2

70-74

21

26.9

75 e +

7

9.0

Race/Color

White

35

44.9

Black

5

6.4

Indigenous

2

2,6

Yellow

0

0,0

Brown

36

46.2

Place of birth

Manacapuru (AM)

33

42.3

Other Amazonas Municipalities

37

47.4

Other States

8

10.3

Religion

Catholic

60

76.9

Evangelical

18

23.1

Education

Illiterate

20

25.6

Read and write a note

13

16.7

Incomplete elementary education

28

35.9

Complete elementary school

5

6.4

Incomplete high school

1

1.3

High school complete

9

11.5

Incomplete higher education

1

1.3

Complete higher education

1

1,3

Children

0 – 3

15

19.2

4 – 6

24

30.8

7 – 9

18

23.1

10 ou +

21

26.9

Table 1 Distribution according to the socio-demographic aspects of the elderly who were attended in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living center of Manacapuru - AM, Brazil - 2011
Source: authors.

Variables

n

%

Occupation

Retired

61

78.2

From Home

9

11.5

Other

8

10.3

Monthly income

No income

2

2.6

< of a minimum wage

10

12.8

From 1 to 3 minimum wages

57

73.1

4 e + minimum wages

9

11,5

Type of housing

Masonry house

59

75.6

Wooden House

12

15.4

Mixed House

7

9.0

House

House Own

69

88.5

Family members' own

4

5.1

Rented

4

5.1

Other

1

1.3

Basic sanitation

Piped water, electricity and waste collection

5

6.4

Piped water, electricity, garbage collection and connection to the sewerage network

35

44.9

Piped water, electricity, garbage collection, connection to the sewage network and telephone.

38

48.7

Table 2 Distribution according to economic aspects and housing conditions of the elderly people who were attended in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel in the municipality of Manacapuru - AM, Brazil – 2011
Source: authors.

Functional capacity comprises two groups of activities, namely: Activities of Daily Life (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs). Figure 1 shows the six functions used to evaluate these Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). Of these, the one that most affected the elderly was the general urinary incontinence (28.2%) and the specific one: for men (0.0%) and women (33.8%), but in the other activities there was not an important percentage that caused dependence in the majority. Figure 2 shows that in the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), the elderly presented greater dependence when they used the telephone (29.5%), followed by help to travel to distant places and perform domestic manual work, both with the same percentage of 19.2%, and take the medication in the right dose and time (17.9%). Although the IADLs that performed with greater independence were: financial care (94.9%) and shopping (91.0%).

Figure 1 Percentage of functional capacity to perform Activities of Daily life (ADLs) of the elderly who were attended in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living center of Manacapuru - AM, Brazil - 2011.

Figure 2 Distribution according to the functional capacity to perform the Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs) of the elderly who were attended in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living center of Manacapuru - AM, Brazil - 2011.

Discussion

This study allowed evaluating the functional capacity and sociodemographic conditions of the elderly in the Eliza Queiroz Maciel living Center of Manacapuru, Amazonas. The research showed a predominance of females, coinciding with the findings in other studies in the city of Manaus17,18 and other regions of the country.19,20 There are some factors that may explain the higher female participation in studies, such as: women live longer, are usually lonely, are less exposed to certain risk factors and show greater concern with their health seeking more health services, especially for the prevention of diseases.19 Due to the lower mortality among women, they predominate in the elderly population, constituting most of the longevity population.21 Women and men live and age differently and, even though old age is not universally feminine, it has a strong gender component.21 While in the year 2000, for every 100 elderly there were 81 elderly men, it is estimated that in 2050 there will be about 76 elderly women for every 100 elderly women.22 The greater participation of women in this type of activity can also be observed due to their greater interest and capacity to adapt to the new challenges that aging brings, such as: search for leisure activities, company, distraction, health prevention practices, especially for the improvement of their quality of life.22

In the analysis of aging by age group, it was observed greater participation of the elderly between 65 and 69 years. Similar findings were found in the study of Hurtado - Guerrero, Alencar and Hurtado – Guerrero,23 studying elderly people in the 60 to 69 age group of Nova Olinda do Norte in the state of Amazonas (83.3%) and Mazo et al.24 obtained relevant results in this age group of elderly people registered in the Centers for Coexistence of the Elderly in the city of São José (SC). The age group composed of people over 65 years old increased from 3.5 in 1970 to 5.5% in 2000, and by 2050 this age group should reach 19% of the Brazilian population, which will lead to a drastic change in the pattern of the Brazilian population pyramid.22 The increase in the population over 60 years of age is largely due to the increase in life expectancy, since today we live longer, although in the midst of social, economic and health differences.25

It was verified that the majority of the elderly had incomplete primary education (35.9%), followed by illiteracy (25.6%). The findings of this study are in line with the results of the study by Chaves17 and Bonifácio18 in Manaus, pointing out that the majority of the elderly had incomplete primary education. Some factors may favor this condition in Amazonas, such as: difficulty of access to schools, housing in remote locations of the forest, combined with household chores and caring for children and grandchildren. The low level of education of the elderly is possibly a reflection of the social organization of the beginning of the last century that hindered access to school by the poorest and women, since at that time there was not as much demand for education as today, and the role of women in society was restricted to marriage, having children and dedication to care for the home and without any stimulus for other studies.26,27

Thus, illiteracy can be considered an important limiting factor for survival and quality of life insofar as it reflects one of the aspects of social inequalities in the country. However, we are currently experiencing days of overcoming them, since many women are increasingly entering the school environment and are looking for a professional career in the fight for equal rights. Elderly women are becoming literate, attending schools and even universities. Everything indicates that in the next generations the level of education will improve for this segment of the population due to easier access to schools and the competitiveness of the labor market. It was observed in this study a high frequency of self-declared elderly brown (46.2%), followed by white (44.9%). These results can be confirmed in other studies such as Portela28 (82.6%) and Souza and Silver29 (48.0%). According to IBGE data in 2010,30 the proportion of elderly Brazilians who declared themselves white (56.8%), increasing brown (33.8%) and black (7.7%), and among the large regions of Brazil, the Northern Region has the highest number of brown (71.2%), with the Amazon the state with the highest percentage of brown with 77.2% of the population. A study by Oliveira et al.31 which analyzed the PNAD data (2008), found that the race/brown color was positively associated with worse self-reported health status and the black color with the highest number of chronic diseases, as well as the brown category was a protective factor for functional disability. By uniting browns and blacks (blacks), the highest chance of self-reporting blacks with the worst health status and the lowest chance of functional disability was maintained.31

The majority of the elderly interviewed were from other municipalities in the state of Amazonas (47.4%). These results are similar to the study by Oliveira et al.32 that evaluating edentulism in the elderly of Manaus, found that most were born in Manaus, followed by those from other municipalities in the Amazon. According to Silver33 the precarious financial situation was the main reason for people to migrate still young to large urban centers or other more developed places. In the population studied, the reasons, possibly, are related to the search for better conditions of care in health, education and possibility of employability.

With regard to marital status, there was a predominance of widowed elderly people (41.0%), followed by married people (29.5%). This fact is also found in a study by Chaves17 with elderly participants of the Pastoral do Idoso in the neighborhood of Petrópolis where there was a higher percentage of widows. In the study by Campos et al.34 conducted with elderly Brazilian octogenarians, most of them were widows (53.4%) and Cauduro et al.35 also found a high number of widowed women (43.4%) in their work with elderly in Manaus. In Brazil, the 2010 Census showed that 51.0% of the population were women, increasing the expectation, 78.8 years for women, and 71.6 years for men.36 All these phenomena affect the size and configuration of families and reinforces the need to invest in studies that can better understand how female longevity behaves beyond the number of years added to women.30

The elderly women live longer than men in most countries, and as a result tend to live with their children or alone, among the various hypotheses that explain their greater experience include differences in exposure to risks, difference in tobacco and alcohol consumption, difference in attitude towards diseases and medical-obstetric care that reduced the number of maternal deaths.37 In the evaluated elderly population, the proportion of elderly women is much higher than that of elderly men. It is believed that men seek less this type of participation in Living Together Centers due to the difficulty in adapting more easily to leisure activities, sports, among other services offered.

Although the municipality of Manacapuru has a higher number of evangelical churches, the elderly mostly declared themselves Catholic (76.9%), with the church being the place they attended most after the Living Together Center, which meets the results of other studies in the Amazon such as Trindade e Castro38 in the city of Parintins (79.6%) and Cauduro et al.39 analyzing the religiosity and spirituality in aging, and by Cauduro et al.35 (72.4%). According to Abdala et al.40 women are more open to show their religious feelings, participate and get involved in church activities. Research shows that belonging to and valuing religion represents an important support mechanism for the elderly to face their problems, contributing to greater satisfaction with life and less feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.41 Religion has a central dimension in the lives of most elderly people, representing an important source of emotional support influencing physical and mental health, where having a religion seems to contribute decisively to well-being in old age, especially in older people with more impoverished social strata.42

Regarding the number of children, a greater number of elderly people had between 4 and 6 children. Studies report that the greater the number of children, the greater the chance of the elderly living with one of them in the third age to receive some type of family support.37 In Brazil, the birth rate has currently decreased and the tendency is that future elderly women live alone and without an adequate welfare system to support them when they become dependent.37 Research by Campos et al.43 showed that divorced elderly without children living alone have the worst family functioning, even presenting independence for ADLs and IADLs, and that this probably happens due to the absence of family members or a support network, which makes them have to be enough themselves in their care and in their daily life. Similarly, Research by Pinheiro et al.44 on institutionalization of the elderly showed that the variables: illiterate, single, black and mixed race, not retired, without health insurance, without children, was associated with the institutionalization of long stay.

As for the dimension occupation it is noted that a large percentage of elderly was retired (78.2%). Similar percentages were found by Sampaio26 (82.2%) in an area covered by the Basic Health Unit in the municipality of Jequié (BA) and Victor et al.45 (60.2%) in a Basic Family Health Unit in the city of Fortaleza (CE). The economic situation plays a fundamental role in determining health conditions, especially in elderly individuals, who are more vulnerable to the onset of diseases and, consequently, to high financial expenditure on medication, hence the importance of retirement in the lives of the elderly, where for many it is the main source of income.46

Retirement represents a permanent income for individuals until death and constitutes a need for individual security in the current era. Initially, for many elderly people, retirement is synonymous with rest; however, after some time, the withdrawal from the life of competition, with the end of the years of work, may generate a crisis in the individual due to reduced self- esteem and the feeling of being useless.47 It is believed that in the group studied the majority live from their retirement, constituting for many their only source of income for their livelihood and their family. The fact of retiring also stimulates the search for coexistence centers in order not to feel isolated, as well as others look for other forms of occupation to complement the low value of retirement.

It was verified in the studied group that the majority, 73,1% of the elderly have monthly income that goes from one to three minimum wages, probably coming from retirements and pension. This finding is in agreement with that reported by Chaves17 in the Pastoral do Idoso (68.0%) and Bonifácio18 in the Centro de Atenção Integral da Melhor Idade (CAIMI) Dr. Paulo Lima (72.0%), both in the city of Manaus (AM), and by Santos et al.48 in the city of João Pessoa (PB) (75.8%). In Brazilian society, income inequality is a striking characteristic, and is also found among the elderly. For the vast majority of the Brazilian elderly, the amounts received as retirement do not cover their expenses, especially when the elderly are the breadwinner of the family group, as in many cases they need to continue to work even if retired49 or become indebted to meet their financial needs and those of their dependents. Thus, financial hypo sufficiency ends up compromising the acquisition of medicines, food and even harming the health and quality of life of the elderly.

In the group studied it was observed that despite the low purchasing power many elderlies have their own home (88.5%) and masonry (75.6%), and these households had all the basic conditions of sanitation, although the municipality of Manacapuru has many neighborhoods with a population lacking basic services in housing. Similarities were found in the work of Nunes et al.50 in Goiânia (88.7%); Pereira et al.46 (83.9%), also showing that on some occasions the housing of the elderly is a support for other family members and even neighbors. Basic sanitation services in the homes of the elderly are essential, facilitating the performance of activities of daily life, because where there is no availability of piped water, for example, people need to carry water over long distances, a situation that would become more difficult for an elderly person and could compromise their health.

Regarding the evaluation of functional capacity, the elderly in this study were mostly (94.6%) independent to perform their Activities of Daily Life (ADLs). The findings were very similar to those of Barbosa et al.3 (61.9%) in Montes Claros (MG) and higher than those of Batalha51 in Manaus (AM). However, a study by Alves52 found a higher percentage of dependent elderly in the activities of daily living (17.2%) in the municipality of Coari, Amazonas, with a predominance of instrumental activities (61.9%), an association was also identified for falls and ADLs and cognitive function for IADLs. Functional capacity tends to decline with advancing age and, even with healthy aging, it is expected that the individual from 80 years of age on has some degree of physiological impairment to perform the Activities of Daily Life (ADLs), and the intensity and frequency of this impairment depend on the general health and living conditions over the years.7 The greater the difficulties of the individual in performing the ADLs, the more severe is the degree of disability, whereas the IADLs that includes more adaptive or necessary tasks for community life, are considered more difficult and complex tasks than the ADLs.53

Regarding the functional capacity evaluation functions of the elderly in this study, the greatest emphasis is on general urinary incontinence (28.2%) and for women (33.8%), as found in other studies Barbosa et al.3 (9.4%) and Carneiro et al.54 (31.1%), among women, and higher than that found by Kessler et al.55 (20.7%) in Bagé (RS). They report that the prevalence of urinary incontinence in the elderly is associated with factors such as gender, skin color, low education, cognitive deficit, walking with help, report of falls, and negative self-perception of health, arthritis/arthrosis/reumatism and fragility.

Urinary incontinence is one of the major geriatric syndromes, and is often not identified due to lack of reports from the elderly, who feel embarrassed and only refer to this situation when they are asked.56 In addition, urinary incontinence predisposes the individual to genitourinary infections and contributes to a greater institutionalization of the elderly, and lack of sphincter control can lead to social isolation, changes in self-esteem and self-image, impairing their quality of life and well-being.56

Functional disability is a phenomenon that occurs differently between men and women and, although the incidence of disability is similar in both sexes, usually women are the most affected by disability.57 The decline in functional capacity increases with age and, as the individual ages, many daily tasks, however simple they may be, become difficult to perform, often being imperceptible for a long time until the individual realizes his or her dependence, since it requires another person to perform it.58 The maintenance of functional capacity is one of the important indicators of successful aging and quality of life of the elderly. The results of this study reveal in general that most elderly people are able to perform all daily activities without needing help.

Regarding the IADLs of this study, it was observed that the elderly had greater dependence to perform them (56.0%). Data from the study by Nunes et al.50 also show these results, showing that most of the elderly were partially dependent to perform the instrumental activities of daily living (45.7%). As well as the study by Barbosa et al.3 which found greater dependence, especially to go somewhere alone, use the telephone, wash and iron. The commitment to perform daily IADLs that are more complex than ADLs can harm the social life of the elderly and promote a disorder for their family, where depending on the activity involved, will have to provide time, energy and financial resources to meet the existing demands7. Hierarchically, the losses occur from instrumental activities of daily living to Activities of Daily Life (ADLs),59 due to the IADLs require greater physical and cognitive integrity compared to the ADLs.60,61 The greater dependence on IADLs in the group of elderly in this study was related to the use of telephone, followed by help to visit distant places, perform domestic manual work and take the medication at the right dose and time. As for the IADLs that perform with independence have a higher percentage: taking care of finances (94.87%) and shopping (91.03%).

Studies show that certain disabilities may be associated with the lack of education of the elderly, such as: handling money, taking medication, shopping and using means of transportation. For the elderly, these disabilities compromise socialization by reducing their autonomy, making it necessary to provide conditions that favor access to knowledge and resources so that they become autonomous and independent7. In addition to low education, the elderly with low vision have difficulty in using the telephone, preparing meals, manual labor, washing and ironing clothes and taking medication correctly.62 In the evaluated group it was observed that most of the elderly had a preserved functional capacity, meaning an acceptable level of functional health, because the ADLs and IADLs are complex activities for the elderly, especially for those who have some degree of impairment of health, impairing their autonomy and independence, as well as can prevent the elderly from enjoying and using their free time, develop new skills and potential.

Closing remarks

From the analysis performed it was possible to determine the profile of the group of elderly participants at the Eliza Queiroz Maciel Living Center of Manacapuru, Amazonas, whose results allowed the following considerations: respecting sociodemographic and economic factors and housing conditions, the elderly group studied consisted mostly of women, which confirms the feminization of old age, they were young elderly,people with low education, brown colour, most from other municipalities in the Amazon, widows, Catholics, with children, retirees, monthly income of 1 to 3 minimum wages, lived in their own house generally of masonry, with basic sanitation.

Regarding the Activities of Daily Life (ADLs), these are performed by the majority of the elderly, being found a greater difficulty in the ADLs on continence, where a small portion reported suffering from occasional urinary incontinence. It is worth mentioning that this health problem can contribute to the hospitalization of the elderly, in addition to leading to social isolation, hindering their engagement in social groups that offer an old age with higher quality of life, such as living centers.

In the Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs), most elderly people find it more difficult to use the telephone, travel to distant places, do domestic manual work, and take medication at the right dose and time. In general, the studied group presents a good maintenance of the functional capacity, with preservation of its autonomy and independence, being able to fill its free time with pleasure, satisfaction and social contacts. In this way, quality of life is not the absence of diseases, but rather an aging in a healthy way, with preservation of its autonomy and independence even in the presence of morbidities. And for a healthy aging, it is necessary that health and social policies promote functional ability and adequate social support for the elderly population. It is important to emphasize that the major objective in health care should not only be to prolong life, but mainly to maintain the functional capacity of the individual so that he can remain longer with autonomy and independence. Therefore, public policies should work on health promotion and disease prevention to benefit this population segment.

Acknowledgments

To the elderly and the manager of the Centro de Convivencia do Idoso (Living Together Center of the Elderly) Eliza Queiroz Maciel of Manacapuru for the direct contribution to the construction of this work. To Universidade do Estado do Amazonas (UEA) and Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas (FAPEAM).

Funding sources

None.

Conflicts of interest

The author declares there is no conflict of interest.

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