Abstract
The main predictors of functional impairment in the elderly are alterations in mental or communication functions. To study mental and communication functions in rural elderly subjects of Mapuche and non Mapuche origin. Elderly subjects coming from a rural Mapuche community and a non Mapuche community were studied. Subjects were interviewed at their homes. The communication and mental function assessments of the Functional Autonomy Measurement System were applied. Fifty one Mapuche and 49 non Mapuche subjects with a mean age of 71 +/- 7 and 74 +/- 8 years respectively, were studied. Fifty four percent were female and 31% were illiterate. Twenty six percent had impairment in mental functions. The item with the highest difficulty was memory. The visual function was the most severely impaired among communication items. Mapuche elderly subjects had significantly higher degrees of impairment in mental and communication functions. There is a higher degree of mental and communication impairment among rural Mapuche elderly subjects than in their non Mapuche counterparts.
Highlights
The main predictors of functional impairment in the elderly are alterations in mental or communication functions
Elderly subjects coming from a rural Mapuche community
Subjects were interviewed at their homes
Summary
The main predictors of functional impairment in the elderly are alterations in mental or communication functions. FUNCIONES MENTALES Y COMUNICACIÓN EN ADULTOS MAYORES MAPUCHES Y NO MAPUCHES - R Mella et al dad moral se aprecia en que son los ancianos a quienes se les consulta sobre las decisiones importantes para la comunidad, lo que en muchos casos se refleja en la figura del Lonko (Cabeza)[6]. El objetivo de nuestro trabajo fue determinar la prevalencia de discapacidad o dependencia en las funciones mentales y comunicación en un grupo de adultos de etnia mapuche y no mapuche, residentes en un área rural. El item que presentó mayor grado de dificultad fue el de visión, tanto en mapuches como en los no mapuches (Figura 4). Distribución porcentual de dependencia en los items del área de las funciones mentales. 3.0: Dependencia severa: Persona postrada totalmente dependiente, no controla esfínteres, incapaz de comunicarse con su medio
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