Declínio cognitivo, funcional e emocional: percepção do acompanhante e real estado do idoso.

Abstract

Aging is a natural human process characterized by physical, psychological and social changes that affect uniquely in each individual. The research aims to understand how the elderly are perceived in their environment. It assessed the perception of the companion on the overall status of the elderly, asking how he perceives the level of quality of life of this elderly. This perception of the companion was compared with the results of three validated scales that measure specific aspects of quality of life, functional independence in activities of daily living, cognitive level and emotional state. This study is an experimental, transversal and quantitative character study, with the participation of 20 pairs of old-companions. Statistical analysis was performed using measures of association Spearman's test and the results showed a significative and positive correlation between the variable perception of the companion and cognitive level (ρ Spearman = 0.65; p <0.001) and between the functional independence and the cognitive level (Spearman ρ = 0:45; p> 0.046). We conclusion that the overall status of the elderly is perceived partly by the companion, who, by various factors, while neglecting important aspects of the quality of life the same as the functional independence and emotional state.