TRAJECTORY OF MOBILITY PERFORMANCE IN INSTITUTIONALIZED OLDER ADULTS IN BRAZIL: A TWO-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY
older adults, mobility, walking, longitudinal study, nursing homes
Objectives: To verify the incidence of decline, maintenance and improvement of mobility for walking in institutionalized elderly, as well as to analyze the evolution of mobility. Methods: Longitudinal study carried out over 2 years (2014-2016), with individuals ≥60 years old, residing in 10 nursing homes in northeastern Brazil. The mobility was evaluated using the “walking” item of the Barthel index. Sociodemographic variables related to the institutions and health conditions of the older adults were considered for descriptive analyzes. Results: The sample consisted of 358 individuals, of which 52, 14.5% (95% CI: 10.8 - 18.1) showed a decline, 143, 39.9% (95% CI: 34.8 - 44 , 9) maintained mobility preserved, 95, 26.5% (95% CI: 21.9 - 31.7) maintained their inability to walk, 5, 1.4% (95% CI: 0.2 - 2, 6) showed improvement in at least one evaluation and only 2, 0.5% (95% CI: 0.2 - 1.32) improved the performance of mobility without decline during the period. Conclusion: The trajectory of mobility proved to be dynamic, but the chances of improving performance in walking are minimal. Less than half of the elderly maintained their mobility preserved, while approximately 40% maintained their immobility.