The role of cultural engagement for older adults: an integrative review of scientific literature

Architectural accessibility and perception of falls of elderly people in the peridomicile: mixed method

OBJECTIVE

To describe contents, structure and origin of social representations about falls by elderly people, the peridomiciliary structural conditions that predispose to falls, and to relate the implications of these empirical evidence on the routine of the elderly in the architectural context.

METHOD

Convergent mixed method by triangulation. Qualitative approaches(structural, n=195 and procedural, n=40of the Theory of Social Representations) and quantitative (descriptive sectional, n=183) were used. Elderly people enrolled in primary care were interviewed at home in 2018. Analysis techniques: categorical-thematic, prototypical, statistical, and deductive according to Leininger.

RESULTS

Categories of analysis: 1) Peridomicile: fall scenario and 2) Aging and vulnerability: risk of falls in peridomicile. The following environmental characteristics were precursors to falls: uneven floors, holes, unevenness and objects in the pathway. Feelings and behaviors allocated in the possible central core are associated, justifying falls, and determining their causes.

CONCLUSION

There was an association between the peridomiciliary architectural environment and the predictive characteristics of the risk of falls.

Benefits of Cultural Activities on People With Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

Museums and cultural institutions are increasingly striving to respond to the interests and needs of the society that hosts them. This means, apart from other actions, that these institutions must be involved in the health and wellbeing of society, and the creation of cultural activities aimed at people with cognitive impairment, a group of individuals that is growing worldwide due to the aging of society and the increasing prevalence of dementia. The involved sectors are aware of the potential and benefits of activities for this population, even though there is much research to be conducted. To date, no systematic review has focused on the benefits of cultural activities for cognitively impaired people. This study aimed to explore the benefits of different modalities of cultural activities with evidence from 145 studies from various databases, which met the inclusion criteria. Significant improvements in general cognition, quality of life (QoL), emotional wellbeing, socialization, and communication were generally reported after interventions, with a reduction in depression symptoms. There was not enough evidence to prove memory, language, or daily functioning improvements attributable to cultural interventions. There were no significant reductions reported in apathy, sadness, agitation, or anxiety.

Risco para desenvolvimento de transtorno cognitivo em um grupo de idosos ativos

Objetivo: apresentar os fatores envolvidos no risco para o surgimento de transtornos cognitivos em um grupo de idosos ativos que participa de um Núcleo de Convivência para Idosos localizado na zona leste da cidade de São Paulo.Métodos: pesquisa desenvolvida a partir da aplicação de avaliação interdisciplinar a 68 idosos ativos entre os meses de janeiro a julho de 2019. Realizou-se a coleta de dados sociodemográficos, de funcionalidade e de morbidade, sendo utilizado o instrumento Miniexame do Estado Mental para categorização de dois grupos: idosos com risco e idosos sem risco para transtornos cognitivos. Esses grupos foram, então, comparados.Resultados: observou-se que 38,2% dos idosos participantes apresentaram risco para transtornos cognitivos e que a variável idade avançada obteve associação significativa com esse risco: o avançar da idade aumenta o risco para o desfecho em 1,10 vezes. Observou-se ainda dado controverso quanto ao excesso de peso, o qual associou-se inversamente ao desfecho estudado.Conclusão: para esse grupo de pessoas idosas, a idade avançada demonstrou ser fator de risco associado ao desenvolvimento de transtorno cognitivo, ao contrário do excesso de peso.