Vol. 18 No. 2 (2019)
Original Articles

Reaching velocity during attention and memory tasks - An indicator of frailty in elderly

Daniana Michelle
Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.
Miguel Pires
Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.
Marlene Rosa
Escola Superior de Saúde, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.
Bio

Published 2020-01-03

Keywords

  • Processing speed,
  • Frailty,
  • Elderly

How to Cite

1.
Daniana Michelle, Miguel Pires, Marlene Rosa. Reaching velocity during attention and memory tasks - An indicator of frailty in elderly. BJHBS [Internet]. 2020 Jan. 3 [cited 2024 Oct. 11];18(2):125-3. Available from: https://bjhbs.hupe.uerj.br/bjhbs/article/view/121

Abstract

Introduction: Several multidimensional assessment tools have been developed to measure frailty, but their implementation is complex and the vast majority are focused on gait. This has hindered the assessment and prediction of frailty in the elderly without gait preservation. Objective: To characterize processing speed during attention and memory tasks in the geriatric population in different states of frailty; to characterize the factors that most contribute to the frailty phenotype. Methodology: An exploratory descriptive study was conducted in 4 residential facilities in the central region of Portugal including institutionalized elderly aged ≥60 years, using 2 verbal and non-verbal commands. Participants were stratified according to categorical profiles of frailty based on a set of 9 variables: age, social relations, sleep, comorbidities, upper limb motor function, cognitive function, depression, instrumental and basic daily activities. The processing speed tests compared the individuals in the different frailty categories, using the Kruskal-Wallis test p <0.05). Result: One hundred and four elderly people were evaluated: 51 individuals were classified as Robust (G1); 36 as Pre-frail (G2); and 17 as Frail (G3). The processing speed in Attention Tasks was a good predictor for the categorization of frailty profiles G1-G3 (p = 0.000) and G2-G3 (p = 0.004); the range of processing speed in Memory Tasks made a distinction between G1-G3 (p = 0.028).  Conclusion: Processing speed in attention and memory tasks has been shown to be a promising indicator for the characterization of frailty profiles in elderly people who are institutionalized.

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