Clinical-functional vulnerability of elderly people living in a medium-sized Brazilian City

Objective: to assess the clinical-functional vulnerability and the most prevalent limitations in elderly Brazilians. Materials and Methods: Observational, quantitative study, carried out with 178 elderly people living in a medium-sized Brazilian city. Data were collected using an instrument that assesses the clinical-functional vulnerability index (CFVI-20) and assessed descriptively. Results: Of the 178 elderly, 50% were robust, 38% potentially fragile and 12% fragile. Most of them were among 60 and 74 years old, had positive self-perception of health, the ability to perform basic and instrumental activities of daily living and mobility, adequate visual and hearing conditions. The elderly were affected by frequent forgetfulness (34.8%), discouragement and hopelessness (39.3%), reduced gait speed (43.8%), falls (23.0%), sphincter control (27.5 %) and presence of multimorbidity or polypharmacy (31.5%). Conclusion: the majority of the elderly people had good clinical-functional condition, being the dimensions that most frequently affect cognition, mood and behavior, aerobic/muscular capacity, sphincter continence, multimorbidity and polypharmacy.