PURPOSE: to check out and compare the functional ability and the language of participants and non-participating elderly in groups of multidisciplinary intervention in primary health. METHOD: studied participants were 60 subjects over 60 year old of both genders, resident in the coverage of both units of Family Health in the City of Camaragibe/PE. The study was a descriptive, observational, cross one and was conducted from May to September 2010. To collect the data we used a socioeconomic and demographic pre-structured questionnaire, and protocols for assessing the Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale and Mini-Mental State Examination in order to assess language status. RESULTS: most of the patients are evaluated in the age group of 60-69 year-old female Caucasian, married, an illiterate, and income of two minimum wages. In assessing the functional ability of participant and nonparticipants elderly groups, 90% and 80% are independent from the instrumental activities of daily live, respectively. In relation to language, 10% of elderly participants in the group showed a deficit compared with only 6.7% of elderly non-participants. CONCLUSION: we need more studies with larger population samples in an attempt to demonstrate the positive effects of group activity, as per literature, and still further studies on the influence of language on the functional capacity of elderly, to find statistical relevance of data and so we may be able to plan and better meet the needs and problems of aging.
Aged; Language; Primary Health Care
