“VALORACIÓN DEL NIVEL DE FRAGILIDAD FUNCIONAL EN ADULTOS MAYORES DEL CENTRO DE FISIOTERAPIA FISIOGAL”. PERÍODO DICIEMBRE 2024-FEBRERO 2025

Abstract

Background: Functional frailty is a clinical syndrome associated with aging that is characterized by a progressive loss of physical capacity, where the organism cannot recover its homeostasis state, related to an increase in the risk of falls, Disability and mortality in older adults (AM). For this reason, assessing the level of frailty within physiotherapy is crucial to implementing preventive strategies. Objectives: To determine the level of frailty in adults over 65 years of age at the physiotherapy center Fisiogal. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional observational study was carried out in 44 individuals over 65 years of age who attend the physiotherapy center 'Fisiogal' in the canton of Sígsig province of Azuay. For the analysis, SPSS version 22 was used, with which measures of central tendency and dispersion were calculated for quantitative variables, as well as frequencies and percentages for qualitative ones. For the relation between the dependent variable and the independent ones, the Chi square (X2) was used. Results: Adults aged 65 to 75 years (59.1%), female (61.4%), righthanded (88.6%) and 50% overweight or obese were predominant. The average walking speed decreased after age 75, especially among women. The force of manual grip decreases with age, and is much lower in the female sex. The vast majority had sarcopenia, with greater incidence in women. Conclusions: Frailty is marked in the studied population, mainly linked to age progression, obesity, and the presence of sarcopenia.