RCAAP Repository

The present research aimed to know the opinions of a group of 67 elderly people who, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, were treated in university geriatric outpatient clinics, wondering about the feelings arising from the pandemic and the quality of life (QOL) in three moments (before and during the pandemic and the expectation of what it will be like in the post-pandemic). Less than a month after the quarantine began, 76.1% mentioned words that focused on negative feelings. When asked about QOL before the start of the pandemic, 82.1% considered it to be very good / good and 17.9%, as regular. During the pandemic, it was classified as good / very good by 43.3%; regular by 1.3%; and bad / very bad by 25.4%. The dimension of QOL most affected at this time was the social dimension, with quarantine being frequently referred to as “prison”. As for the QOL expectation after the end of the pandemic, we had: very good / good at 73.1%; regular by 13.4%; and bad / very bad, at 13.4%. Therefore, the elderly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, need to be the focus of actions and planning aimed at maintaining their well-being and satisfaction, which is directly related to their ability to overcome difficulties and obstacles. 

Aging affects different systems compromising organic homeostasis. At this context, relation between intestinal microbiota and different systems such as immune and nervous has been shown, and modifications in this composition using probiotics or therapy based in foods may create new preventive and therapeutic options for conditions and pathologies associated to aging.  

According to current publications that address the prevention strategies and treatment of sarcopenia, the role of physical activity and adequate nutrition is indisputable. The aim of this study was to review the main scientific findings on the prevention of sarcopenia in the elderly, focusing on actions involving nutrition and physical exercise, discussing some points that are already a consensus in the literature, and others that still need more evidence or research with better methodological quality. 

We have investigated the differences related to oral health status between urban and rural elderly, including oral health self-care, habits and access to dental service characteristics. Data was obtained from Brazilian National Health Survey (2013). According to geographic area we have found different profiles. Urbans demonstrated better indicators of oral health status, more use of technology to appoint a dentistry consultation and less looking for treatment because oral pathology than rural elderly. 

The growth of the elderly population in Brazil allows us to make several reflections, one of them is about the relationship between health and spirituality / religiosity, mainly because we are heirs of cultural history that was inherited by Portuguese and European colonists. This study aims to verify the religious affiliation of octogenarians from the samples were for convenience and in a simple random way from a study of the elderly who sought the Geriatrics outpatient clinic at the Catholic University of Brasilia. A comparison of the responses received to the questionnaires was performed, according to socio-demographic and spirituality / religiosity variables (gender, age group, education, family income, self-rated health, practice of spirituality / religiosity). The results found show that when the aging process starts, religiosity / spirituality can be a protective factor when the losses intensify. 

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The objective of this study was to analyze the association between handgrip strength (HGS) and functional capacity (FC) in elderly candidates for cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and to compare the results found in elderly without previous cardiovascular event. Cross-sectional study in which HGS was assessed by manual dynamometry and FC by the six-minute walk test (6MWT) and the six-minute step test (6MST). The findings show that the HGS correlated with the FC, measured by the 6MST in elderly candidates for CR and elderly without previous cardiovascular event. 

The purpose of this article was to describe, through an experience report, the development of a preventive educational intervention on anxiety for elderly people in times of COVID-19. The activities were linked to the discipline of Collective Health Practices, at the Catholic University of Brasília, and involved: opinion polling and the elaboration of health content on an Instagram profile. It was observed that the intervention was effective and enabled health promotion in old age. 

The aim of this study was to assess adherence, perception of social distance and the role of physical activity in the elderly from a university extension program with remote activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was carried out with 60 elderly people. A questionnaire with questions about adherence to classes, perception of social distance, the role of physical activity and sociodemographic variables was used. The results showed participants' adherence to classes, ambivalent perceptions about distance and the importance of physical activity in terms of social and physical aspects. Remote classes have become a new reality for the elderly in the face of the pandemic, as a way of maintaining a routine of activities, benefiting from social approach and physical and mental well-being. 

Objetivou-se investigar os assuntos veiculados pela mídia jornalística do Distrito Federal, a respeito da velhice e COVID-19.  Foram analisadas 74 matérias veiculadas no jornal Correio Braziliense entre 8 de março e 10 de maio de 2020. A análise textual, conduzida pelo IRaMuTeQ, resultou em cinco classes de palavras: Desenvolvimento da Pandemia; Medidas; Ambiente; Atenção ao Idoso; e Saúde e Pesquisa. A representação da velhice foi plural e associada à doença, proteção, vida pública e os programas para idosos.  

It is an experience report about care to elderly people through digital tools treatment. Where the social support strategies of the Interdisciplinar Nucleus of Research and Extension to Health Care of the Family in Conviability with Diseases (NIEFAM) is described, the context of the extension to promotion of a healthy day-to-day of its participants. Educational video classes prepared by the students, professors and professionals were used due to the group care demands about the coping with non-transmissive chronicle diseases. The objective is to stimulate people’s adaptive competences, their latent resources, comprehended here as as resiliences, the capacity of flexibility and adaptation to what the atual context strongly imposes: the coping with non-transmissive chronicle diseases, during social isolation times, due to COVID-19. 

The objective was to identify the Social Representations (RS) about quarantine among Brazilian elderly women. 69 elderly women, aged between 60 and 87 years, participated in the study. Sociodemographic questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and the technique of free word association were used. The data on the SR were processed by the IRaMuTeQ software. Distinctions were found in the quarantine SR according to the income of the elderly. It is concluded that social inequalities can imply the social isolation of elderly women. 

The aim of this pilot study was to assess the functional health literacy, psychological and physical risk factors for falling in institucionalized elderly, including fear of falling, functional mobility, static and dynamic balance. The importance of considering these aspects in association in future studies on older people was discussed. 

Sarcopenia was initially described as a reduction in overall muscle mass, which occurs throughout the aging process. Some publications have shown that the definition and classification of sarcopenia are not fully established and the categorization of this syndrome has undergone changes, as noted in the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) publications. Therefore, the objective of the study was to present the prevalence of sarcopenia using the classifications proposed by EWGSOP1 and 2 in long-lived elderly (> 80 years) in the Federal District. This is a cross-sectional study in which the following variables were assessed: sociodemographic, muscle mass by Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA), muscle strength by hydraulic dynamometer and physical performance using the 4,6 meters. Participated in the study 117 elderly people with a mean age of 83.7 ± 3.51. The prevalence of sarcopenia was 3.5% and 4.3% by the EWGSOP1 and 2 algorithms, respectively. By EWGSOP1, 94% of the sample was classified as no sarcopenia and 3.5% as sarcopenic. By EWGSOP2, 50% were classified as probable sarcopenia, 43% as no sarcopenia and 4.3% as sarcopenic. The results allow to verify the divergences in the prevalence of sarcopenia in the adopted criteria, mainly between the classification of pre-sarcopenia and probable sarcopenia. Thus, it is noted the importance of continuing studies that deepen the investigation of these classifications, especially in long-lived elderly. 

The objective is to identify the typology and the experience of intrafamily violence suffered by elderly people with disabilities. As for the method, it is a qualitative and exploratory study. Audio-recorded interviews were conducted. The sample comprised five elderly people of both sexes, with physical disabilities. The Results show that psychological violence was present in the lives of all the elderly people interviewed. In conclusion, elderly people with disabilities are continually being exposed to violence due to the difficulty of seeing them as such and the inability to exercise their autonomy and independence due to the deficiencies that affect them. 

The study aimed to analyze the content of the videos to support PA of elderly people in social isolation, available on Youtube during the Covid-19 pandemic. Exploratory, qualitative study, based on videos available on the YouTube sharing platform. Of the twenty videos analyzed, there was a high number of views and a concern with the methodology of presenting the exercises to elderly people, thus revealing a care adjusted to the functional capacities of this group. 

The study aimed to describe effects of music use in institutionalized elderly. A descriptive exploratory study with qualitative analysis, in which six elderly with an average age of 88.3 years participated. It was observed by the researchers, and unanimously reported by the research participants, good experiences with musical activities and which they believe to be an extremely important activity regarding the maintenance of their social, biological and psychological aspects. 

The article aimed to investigate the effects of Integrative and Complementary Practices on speech-language rehabilitation of patients with Parkinson's disease. We analyzed interviews of two speech therapists and two of their respective parkinsonian patients, who used Art therapy, a practice contemplated by the National PIC Policy. One duo used theatrical games and the other, workshop. The practices allowed the expansion of the therapeutic perspective, in addition to the organic issues of the disease. 

The objective of this article was to analyze the practices of the extension project “Sociocultural participation of the elderly population” which, due to the period of social restriction imposed by the pandemic of Covid-19, started to happen remotely involving the elaboration of audiovisual content. Based on the experience of extension authors, audiovisual activities were analyzed as a learning resource, the possibility of intergenerational approximation and as a means of disseminating knowledge. 

The study aims to verify the association between anthropometric indicators and comorbidities in elderly people living in long-term institutions. It was identified that the body mass index is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, cognitive decline and unintentional weight loss. Thus, the importance of nutritional monitoring with the elderly is emphasized, in order to assist in the control of body mass.