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Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças
Print version ISSN 1645-0086
Abstract
FONSECA, António and MEDEIROS, Sofia. Functional evaluation instruments for the elderly, validated for the portuguese population. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2019, vol.20, n.3, pp.711-725. ISSN 1645-0086. https://doi.org/10.15309/19psd200313.
The aging process is as complex as any other development phase. The clinical evaluation of aging must, therefore, encompass dimensions such as functionality and quality of life. The concept of quality of life, in turn, encompasses the idea of well-being (Barnes, Gahagan & Ward, 2013). Being that the functionality is related to the independent life (Ramos, 2003). By contemplating these categories in psychological assessment, a more effective intervention is possible. In order to understand what is used as evaluation instruments in Portugal, a bibliographic research was carried out with the support of electronic databases (PsycArticles, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Education Source, Emerald and ScienceDirect). We searched for articles that related assessment tools for the elderly, directly related to the functionality and quality of life. A pre-analysis was performed, followed by material exploration and data interpretation. Our research gathered 15 validated evaluation instruments for the Portuguese elderly population. These instruments vary in their approach to the problem, with different focus of evaluation, in a logic of “favorable/unfavorable”, allowing or not to also consider the perspective of the caregiver. When applied together, according to the need, these instruments allow to approach cognitive, emotional, behavioral and physical competence valences, being able to describe the functionality and quality of life of the elderly subject.
Keywords : aging; elder; geriatric instruments; functionality; quality of life.