Abstract
The functioning and cognition of older adults can be influenced by different care contexts. We aimed to compare the functioning profiles and cognition of institutionalized and noninstitutionalized older adults and to evaluate the effect of sociodemographic factors on the functioning and cognition. This is a cross-sectional study that included 593 older adults. The data were collected using the Elderly Nursing Core Set and Mini Mental State Examination. Women, older adults who did not attend school and those live in Residential Homes are more likely to have a higher degree of cognitive impairment than men, those who attended school and those frequent Day Centre. The chances of an older adult with moderate or severe cognitive impairment increases with age. Older women, older adults who did not attend school, and older adults who live in Residential Homes had a higher degree of functional problem than men, those who attended school and those who frequent a Day Centre, independently to age. It is necessary to promote the health literacy of older adults throughout life. The implementation of social and health responses should allow older adults to remain in their homes, given the influence of functioning and cognition on self-care and quality of life.
Highlights
This is a cross-sectional study and involved a sample of 586 older adults divided into two groups: the Day Centers group (DC) was composed of non-institutionalized older adults living in their homes and attending day centers (N = 102); and the Residential
Assuming that functioning is associated with quality of life, it should be noted that in a recent systematic literature review and meta-analysis, the authors concluded that older adults who had been institutionalized had a worse quality of life than those who lived at home [38]
A systematic evaluation of functioning is indispensable to ensure that care and contextual conditions are adapted to the health situation of the individual
Summary
Various international organizations (the World Health Organization (WHO), United. Nations (UN), World Bank (WB), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission (EC)) have demonstrated the magnitude of population aging and noted that it is notable in more developed countries. The National Statistical Institute of Portugal (INE), in turn, has examined the issue in Portugal and predicts that the phenomenon of population aging, which is already very significant, will continue to worsen over the 30 to 40 years [1] and will be characterized mainly by (i) the decrease in mortality in the young population; (ii) increased average life expectancy; and (iii) the replacement of communicable diseases with chronic diseases. Portugal is already the European Union country with the third highest rate of population aging among residents [2].
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