Capacidade Funcional de Idosas de Instituição de Longa Permanência no Município de João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brasil: Estudo Piloto Functional Capacity of Elderly from a Long-term Institution in the City of João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil: A Pilot Study

Objective: To analyze the functionality and degree of independence / dependence in performing six activities of daily living (dressing, bathing, eating, ability to transfer, continence and personal hygiene) of elderly residents in a Long-term Institution. Material and Methods: This was an observational study with pre and post measures. The sample consisted of 29 elderly (80 ± 10.4 years), most of whom had the time of institutionalization over 24 months. For collection of variables, it was used the Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living by Katz. Statistical descriptive analysis was employed, and the Wilcoxon test was used to analyze differences in the six basic activities of daily living before and after three months (p <0.05); Spearman correlation was applied for the variables age and length of institutionalization. Results: After analyzing each basic activity of daily living before and after three months, it was observed a significant decrease in functionality (p <0.05) for all basic activities, except dressing up. When the sample was categorized as dependent or independent, it was observed a significant increase in dependency (p<0.03). Conclusion: There was an increase in elderly dependency and a positive association between the variables time of institutionalization and age.