EVALUATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL CAPACITY OF THE ELDERLY POST-COVID-19
Keywords: Elderly. Functional Status. COVID-19.
Introduction: COVID-19 is characterized as an acute respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus. It has high transmissibility and global distribution, with the elderly as the group
most at risk of developing severe forms and with the potential to compromise their functional capacity.
Objectives: To assess the implications of COVID-19 on the post-infection functional status of elderly people.
Method: The study was divided into two stages: 1) scope review, conducted according to the method proposed
by the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The literature search took place from December 2022 to February 2023
in the following databases: Cochrane Library; Latin American and Caribbean health Sciences Literature (LILACS);
Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) via PubMed; Scopus (Elsevier) and Web
of Science, both through remote access by the Federated Academic Community (CAFe). As descriptors
were used: "Aged", "Elderly", "Functional Status", "Functionality", "Post-COVID-19" and "Long COVID-19"
indexed in Portuguese, English and Spanish in the Descriptors in Health Science ( DecS) and Medical
Subject Headings (MeSH); 2) descriptive, cross-sectional study, with an epidemiological approach,
carried out in a Family Health Unit in the city of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, with elderly residents of
the community, survivors of COVID-19. For data collection, individual interviews were conducted
with the elderly, with the application of three instruments: clinical-therapeutic form, Health
Handbook for the Elderly, and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Data were analyzed u
sing the JAMOVI 1.6.2.3 software, using absolute and relative frequencies, in addition to dispersion
measures, referring to the arithmetic mean and standard deviation.
Results: 1) 817 potentially eligible studies were identified, of which
12 were selected because they met the eligibility criteria.
The complementary search in the reference list of the articles allowed the inclusion of one more article,
totaling 13 studies that composed the final sample. Post-COVID-19 functional impairment was present
in most of the studies included in the sample and that the factors associated with this decline included frailty
and physical inactivity prior to infection, older age, complications during infection, duration of mechanical
ventilation and hospitalization and comorbidities. 2) Under development.
Final Considerations: COVID-19 can cause disabling sequelae, even after hospital discharge, leading to
limitations in the performance of activities of daily living for the elderly. Therefore, the implementation of
comprehensive care, structured in multidimensional assessment is essential.