Abstract
The process of population aging will lead to an increase in health problems in older people, mainly related to their functionality. Accordingly, the countries of the Region of the Americas must begin to act to meet this challenge. One of the fundamental tasks involves the ability to measure and monitor functionality in the population. The tools used to evaluate functionality focus mainly on the basic activities of daily living, which limits their preventive capacity, since instrumental activities provide a better prognosis. Using the case of Chile, challenges for the Region were identified, mainly related to the advantages of adopting new methodologies that not only evaluate functional capacity, as current strategies do, but also detect its deterioration early and monitor its stages throughout the dependence stage in older people. This will also make it possible to evaluate initiatives for the prevention and management of loss of functionality.
| Translated title of the contribution | Functionality and seniors: Where are we and where should we be going? |
|---|---|
| Original language | Spanish |
| Article number | e34 |
| Journal | Revista Panamericana de Salud Publica/Pan American Journal of Public Health |
| Volume | 46 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:La investigación fue apoyada por la Iniciativa Científica Milenio ANID (ICS2019_024) y al Centro Integral para el Envejecimiento Feliz (CIEF) de la Universidad de los Andes. Este artículo forma parte del proyecto “Validación transcultural y estadística al contexto chileno del Cuestionario VIDA, una herramienta para la detección precoz del deterioro funcional y prevención de la dependencia de las personas mayores”, financiado por la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo y el Ministerio de Salud de Chile, Proyecto FONIS SA20I0097. Los patrocinadores no participaron de ninguna manera en el diseño del estudio, la colecta y análisis de los datos, la decisión de publicar este trabajo ni la preparación del manuscrito.
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