Relation between family functionality and the household arrangements of the elderly

Abstract

Abstract Objective :to verify the association between family functionality and the household arrangements of the elderly in an urban area of Minas Gerais. Method: a quantitative, household survey type study that was analytical, cross-sectional and observational in nature was carried out with 637 elderly persons. The Mini Mental State Examination, a characterization of sociodemographic and economic data and the Family Apgar test were used. Descriptive analysis was performed by absolute and relative frequencies for the categorical variables. The Chi-squared test (p <0.05) was used to identify relationships between household arrangements and family functionality. Results: elderly women (66.6%), aged 60 to 70 years (42.1%), who were married (42.7%), and received the minimum wage (45.1%), with up to four years of education (51%) predominated. It was found that the majority of the elderly persons interviewed (87.8%) considered their family as a unit of care with good functionality. There was a significant association between poor family functionality and elderly individuals who lived alone (p = 0.007). Conclusion: it is important to understand the family dynamics of the elderly so that multidisciplinary teams can promote actions and interventions aimed at the needs of each family, helping to strengthen family relationships.