Family health strategy: relevance to the functional capacity of older people

Objective: to identify the functional capacity of older people based on their performance on basic activities of daily living. Method: a cross-sectional study, carried out through the record of the Family Health teams working in the urban area of a city in northern Minas Gerais, in 2015. To assess the functional capacity of 373 older people, the Katz Scale was applied, which includes dimensions on the performance of daily living activities. The interviews took place in the participants' households. Results: of the total participants, 6.9% had some degree of dependence. Those aged over 80 years old and were living without a partner had about three times more chances of presenting higher levels of functional dependence. Conclusion: most older people enrolled in a Family Health Strategy had their functional capacity preserved.