Abstract
Objective:to know the relationship between the sensory function, gait ability, and cognitive function with dependency in older adults.Method:a descriptive cross-sectional design, 146 older adults took part.Measurements:Snellen chart, Audiometer, Stereognosia tests, Semmes-Weinstein monofilament, basic aromas and flavors, GAITRite system, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, the Barthel Index, and the Lawton and Brody Index.Results:sensory function, cognitive function and gait explain 25% dependence on basic activities of daily life and 21% dependence on instrumental activities of daily life. The variables that influence dependence on basic activities were taste (p=.029), gait speed (p=.009), cadence (p=.002) and step length (p=.001) and, in instrumental activities, gait speed (p=.049), cadence (p=.028) and step length (p=.010).Conclusion:gait speed, cadence and stride length are variables that influence both dependence on basic and instrumental activities of daily life.
Highlights
Changes arise at the biological level, among which are the decrease in sensory functions, gait ability and cognitive function; these changes become a limitation of the functionality of the older adult that leads them to dependency to carry out basic activities of daily life (BADLs)(1)
In the present study it was found that the dependence for the BADLs is different in older adults with and without alteration of visual acuity, a finding which is consistent with an article on a Mexican population[3]
This is consistent in populations of foreign countries; in Tokyo and Georgia, a study was carried out to find out the predictors of dependency and it was found that vision predicts in up to 60% the alteration in functionality[26], this is why the evaluation of visual acuity must be present in the medical evaluations that are carried out on older adults to correct the alteration as much as possible and avoid dependencies due to this cause
Summary
Changes arise at the biological level, among which are the decrease in sensory functions, gait ability and cognitive function; these changes become a limitation of the functionality of the older adult that leads them to dependency to carry out basic activities of daily life (BADLs)(1). In Mexico, between 26.9% and 30.9% of the older adults are dependent[2,3]. The study of dependency in older adults is an important topic, which the nursing professionals should pay attention to, since if it is not properly cared for it can have important individual and family consequences. It has been found that there is a relationship between the decrease in gait capacity with dependency, since when there are problems in moving from one place to another, it is not possible to adequately perform the BADLs[8]
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