Cognitive Condition of Seniors Living in Long-Stay Institutions

Objective: Investigate the cognitive conditions of seniors living in long-stay Institutions.

Method: This is a descriptive, quantitative research, cross character, being selected 122 elderlies, long-stay institutions in the municipality of João Pessoa, Paraíba- Brazil. As data collection instrument was used to cognitive assessment scale Mini-Mental State examination. The data were processed with the aid of the SPSS computer package. 16.0, through descriptive statistics, presented in charts and tables for characterization and comparison of sample data and analysis of significance with the Boxplot.

Results: It was observed that 67.2% (n=82) are female, aged 79 ± 10 years; 30.3% (n=37) 68 (55.7%) illiterate elderly showed cognitive deficit. It is also noted in one of the institutions, significantly lower results, with respect to the memory of Evocation. The instrument used in the study, proved effective in cognitive tracking, in addition to detect mild cognitive impairment, since the parameter that best predicts this disorder is the memory of evocation.

Conclusion: The results are suggestive to use another psychometric scale, in the short term and routinely in these institutions, as a means to confirm the findings and implement measures to prevent the harms to health, considering that these deficits are capable of causing damage in the everyday life of the aged, and may interfere in the quality of life, being thus possible indications for treatment and interventions.

Author(s):

Jiovana de Souza Santos

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