Objective: To verify the trajectory of the functional capacity of elderly persons hospitalized due to clinical conditions in a university hospital. Method: A descriptive, prospective cohort study was conducted between 2015 and 2016. Elderly patients admitted to the Hospital das Clínicas of Botucatu Medical School (Unesp), Brazil, were evaluated for the functional assessment of basic activities of daily living (BADL) using the Katz scale, nutritional status (body mass index (BMI)) and presence of the Frailty Syndrome (FS) (Fried criteria). A description of the trajectory of functional capacity was carried out at four times: 15 days before admission (T0), at admission (T1), at hospital discharge (T2) and 30 days after discharge (T3). Results: 99 elderly people with a mean age of 74 (+7.35) years, 59.6% of whom were male, were evaluated. Of these, 81.8% presented functional independence at T0, 45.5% at T1, 57.6% at T2 and 72.8% at T3. According to their functional trajectories, 28.2% of the elderly lost functional capacity between T0 and T3. There was an association between worsening of functional capacity between T0 and T3 and the FS (RR 4.56; 95% CI 1.70-12.26, p=0.003). Conclusion: Elderly patients have worse functional capacity at hospital discharge than before hospitalization. About 28.0% of the elderly had worse functional capacity 30 days after discharge than 15 days before admission. The elderly with Frailty Syndrome have a greater risk for worse functional capacity results 30 days after discharge.

Objective: To determine the prevalence and risk factors for incontinence-associated dermatitis in the elderly. Method: Cross-sectional exploratory study carried out in public hospitals. The dermatitis prevalence and associations were obtained by calculating the ratio. The effect dimension was estimated by the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and statistical significance p <0.05. Results: 138 elderly people were included, with an average age of 77.2 years old (± 9.3); 69 (50%) had combined fecal and urinary incontinence. The dermatitis prevalence was 36.2% (50); 28% (14) had pressure injuries; 14% (7), candidiasis. Risk factors were: longer hospital stay (Odds Ratio = 5.8 [2.6-12.9]), obesity (Odds Ratio = 3.6 [1.2-10.4]), high level of dependence (Odds Ratio = 2.4 [1,1-5,0]) and high risk for pressure injury (Odds Ratio = 6.1 [1,4-26,9]). Conclusion: The study found a high prevalence of dermatitis associated with incontinence. The early recognition of risk factors favors effective preventive actions.

Background and Objectives: Changes in cerebral blood flow may play an important role in cognitive impairment among hemodialysis (HD) patients. Physical activity has a promising role in delaying cognitive impairment in general population, but there are only a few studies in HD to confirm this finding. We aimed to evaluate the effects of intradialytic aerobic training on cerebral blood flow and cognitive impairment in HD. Design, Setting, Participants, and Measurements: This is a pilot, controlled, randomized trial. Fifteen patients underwent intradialytic aerobic training 3 times a week for 4 months. The control group was comprised of another 15 patients. Results: Trained patients had a statistically significant improvement of cognitive impairment and basilar maximum blood flow velocity. The proportion of arteries with increased flow velocity was statistically significant between groups. Conclusions: Intradialytic aerobic training improves cognitive impairment and cerebral blood flow of patients in HD, suggesting a possible mechanism improving cognitive impairment by physical training in HD. These data still need to be confirmed by major trials.

Ageing is a dynamic and progressive process that is characterized by the occurrence of morphological, biochemical, functional and psychological changes in the organism. The aim of the present article is to provide updated concepts on oxidative stress, covering its importance in aging, as well as nutritional status and supplementation with antioxidants (substances that prevent or attenuate oxidation of oxidizable substrates, such as lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and deoxyribonucleic acid) in the geriatric population. Evidence suggests that there is an inverse relationship between oxidative stress and nutritional status in elderly individuals. Although an increase in oxidative stress in chronic diseases associated with aging has been proven, such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, up to now there has been no consistent clinical evidence proving the efficiency of supplementation with antioxidants against oxidative stress. In this context, supplementation is not recommended. On the other hand, the elderly should be encouraged to eat antioxidant foods, such as fruits and vegetables. Maintaining a normal weight (body mass index between 23 and 28 Kg/m2) should also be stimulated.

OBJECTIVES: To map the number and geospatial distribution of Brazilian long-term care facilities (LTCFs) for older adults. Additionally, we sought to highlight the relationship between these findings and the number of older people in the country’s 27 Federation Units, demonstrating the growth of these facilities in the last decade. METHODS: This is a descriptive observational study, using secondary data, which was performed in 3 stages: 1) searching and consolidating national and subnational data from different sources and mapping LTCFs; 2) preparing a geospatial map using Brazilian postal codes; and 3) triangulating the number of facilities and of older people in each state and all 5 Brazilian regions. RESULTS: We found 7029 LTCFs in the country, mostly in the Southeast and South regions: São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio Grande do Sul had the highest numbers of facilities while states in the North region represented only 1.12% of Brazilian LTCFs. Geospatial mapping highlighted that 64% of the 5 570 Brazilian municipalities did not have any LTCFs for older adults. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a large difference between Brazilian regions regarding the provision of long-term care.