Avaliação da capacidade funcional e qualidade de vida do idoso no Brasil residente em comunidade

Background: The loss of functional capacity (FC) by the elderly compromises autonomy and interferes with quality of life (QL). Objective: To evaluate the FC score and the QL of elderly people living in a community and to assess the influence of age and gender on FC and QL. Methodology: Quantitative, exploratory, descriptive research of an applied nature. Sixty-seven elderly people were cared for during the consultations scheduled in a family health unit. A sociodemographic and health data form, basic activities of daily living (BADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and QL evaluation instruments were used. Results: For the BADL, there was a lower score only for continence (54; 80.6%). The majority are independent (63; 94%) for IADL, mean QL score was 16.1 ± 1.9. There was a significant correlation between the variables age and BADL and between IADL and QL. Males obtained a higher mean score (μ = 26.26) for FC, and for QL, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Age and gender were associated with FC and QL of the elderly