TITLE:
The Application of Scales in the Diagnosis of Perceived Needs in the Elderly with Mild Cognitive Impairment
AUTHORS:
Josélia Braz dos Santos Ferreira, Selma Petra Chaves Sa, Luciana Krauss Rezende, Rosana Moreira de Sant’Anna, Ana Maria Domingos, Rosimere Ferreira Santana
KEYWORDS:
Nursing Diagnosis, Mild Cognitive Impairment, Sensory-Motor Performance, Postural Balance, Elderlies
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.6 No.8,
August
24,
2016
ABSTRACT: The study evaluated the use of the Mini-Mental State Examination scale (MMSE), Tinettiscale, and Motor Scale for the Elderly (EMTI) toassist in the diagnosis of potential needs observed in elderlies with Mild Cognitive Impairment. This was aquasi-experimental research, conducted in a Basic Health Unit in thecityof Rio de Janeiro in 2014. The sample population consisted of 22 elderlies aged 64 to 88 years and 86.36% females. The SAS statistical software (version 9.3.1) and Kruskal-Wallis test were used at a 95% confidence interval and a significance level of 0.05 and demonstrated significant differences in the evaluations performed before and after the intervention. The detected diagnoses were: impaired memory, the risk of falls, and willingness to improved relationships, among others. The evaluations showed MMSE results that were suggestive of cognitive impairment in 22.73% of the elderlies; the Tinetti scale showed a high risk of falls in 31.82% of theelderlies; and EMTI with 88.36 points, which was equivalent to the normal low classification. The intervention took place through ten weekly activity sessions after the initial evaluations. In the second evaluation, the Tinetti showed 59.09% of the elderlies with a moderate risk of falls and the EMTI as the normal average classification with 90.32 points. It was concluded that the scales offered diagnostic possibilities, which allowed for the implementation of necessary interventions according to the detected problems.