Public Health.

Background: Cognitive impairment (CI) is a major geriatric syndrome, leading to the loss of an individual's decision-making autonomy and representing a significant caregiving burden for families. It is commonly encountered in clinical practice and can be caused by dementia (major neurocognitive disorder), depression, delirium, or mental illness.

Methods: To assess the prevalence and primary causes of cognitive impairment (CI), as well as its correlation with other clinical conditions among bed-bound or home-bound elderly individuals from low-resource communities in Brazil, we carried out a cross-sectional study.

Analysis of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in long-term care facilities in the pre-vaccination period.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected individuals residing in Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCFs), necessitating tailored strategies to manage outbreaks. This study examines the outcomes of the ILPI BH project, a collaborative effort between the Municipal Health Department and the Hospital das Clínicas of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, designed to mitigate COVID-19 spread within LTCFs.

Methods: Prospective cohort of secondary data: 1,794 old residents in 99 long-term care facilities of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, were followed from May 2020 to January 2021.

Estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on mortality of institutionalized elderly in Brazil.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses difficulties for long-term care institutions for the elderly, with increased mortality rates for the residents. This study aims to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on mortality of institutionalized elderly in Brazil. Estimates of the percentage of elderly deaths occurring in care homes were calculated for Brazil, States and Regions using estimates for the total number of deaths.

Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (IVCF-20): rapid recognition of frail older adults.

Objective: To evaluate the adequacy of the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20, a rapid triage instrument to test vulnerability in Brazilian older adults, for the use in primary health care.

Methods: The study included convenience sample of 397 patients aged older than or equal to 60 years attended at Centro de Referência para o Idoso (Reference Center for Older Adults) and of 52 older adults the same age attended at the community. The results of the questionnaire, consisting of 20 questions, were compared with those of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment, considered a reference for identifying frail older adults.