FRAILTY, SOCIODEMOGRAFIC PROFILE AND HEALTH EVALUATION OF OLDER ADULTS IN VULNERABILITY

Objective: The study's main purpose has been to compare the prevalence of frailty with both demographic profile and subjective evaluation of health of older adults registered in Social Assistance Referral Centers of a countryside municipality from the Sao Paulo State. Methods: It is a comparative and cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. There were assessed 247 older adults using the following: a questionnaire for the characterization of older adults, Subjective Evaluation of Health and the Edmonton Frail Scale. The interviews were carried out at home. All ethical precepts were respected. This research was approved under the Certificado de Apresentactio para Apreciactio Etica (CAAE) [Certificate of Presentation for Ethical Appraisal] No. 00867312.8.0000.5504. Results: Considering the assessed older people, 41.7% did not show frailty, whereas 36.8% did show some level (mild, moderate or severe) of it. There was found a statistically significant difference between frailty and the following: number of reported diseases and subjective evaluation of health (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Frail older adults bearing comorbidities and negative self-perception of their health deserve special attention from social assistance and health care services.