SYNDROME OF FRAILTY AND THE USE OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN ELDERLY

Objective: To analyze the association between the fragility syndrome and the use of assistive technologies in the elderly in an outpatient clinic. Method: Cross-sectional research with 374 elderly individuals, between February 2016 and February 2017. Data collection included structured instrument and Edmonton Fragility Scale. Stata (R) 12 was used for analysis, the association was verified through Fisher's F test and Student's t test (p <= 0.05). Results: Predominance of women (67.4%), mean age of 67.9 years, married (56.4%), low educational level (55.1%). Of the participants, 4.5% used bengal, 1.3% crutch and 0.3% walker, 29.4% used corrective lenses, 40.1% of the elderly presented some degree of fragility. The bivariate and multivariate analysis showed a positive association between fragility and bengal (p=0.001). Conclusion: Important for the health professional, perform the early screening of the fragility, highlighting the elderly using assistive technologies, as they may indicate impairment and functional loss.