Prevalence and characteristics of lesions in elderly people living in the community

Objective: To describe the profile and the characteristics of elderly people with mobility restrictions who are residents in the community and have skin lesions. Method: This was an exploratory and descriptive study that was part of the Health, Welfare and Ageing (SABE) study which assessed the presence of skin lesions in a probabilistic sample of elderly people living in the city of Sao Paulo in relation to factors such as socio-demographic issues, blood biomarkers, health conditions and the use of services. The analysis used the chi-square test with the Rao-Scott correction for complex samples, with a level of significance of 5%. Results: In 2010, 20.7% of elderly people with restricted mobility had skin lesions due to this problem. The most common sites of these lesions were the sacral region for both sexes, the scapular region for women and the trochanteric region for men. Older age, multimorbidity and functional impairment were more prevalent among the elderly people with lesions, as well as greater levels of care that were required. Family dysfunction was associated with higher burdens on caregivers, which may affect the quality of care provided. It was observed that elderly people who are priorities for home care do not receive such care adequately. Conclusion: The prevalence of skin lesions in the elderly with mobility restrictions living in the community was low; however, these elderly people require special attention, which is not currently being adequately provided. The reorganization of policies and care services appears to be essential.