Deterioro de la capacidad física de personas adultas mayores institucionalizadas en centros geriátricos de la ciudad de Cuenca, 2023-2024

Aging encompasses multidimensional changes, affecting both the elderly person and their environment. In many cases, the inability to provide care leads to institutionalization in nursing homes. Physical deterioration results in dependency, compromising quality of life and accelerating aging. General Objective: Determine the deterioration of the physical capacity of older adults institutionalized in Geriatric Centers in the city of Cuenca, 2023-2024. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study. The study universe was made up of 62 older adults institutionalized in the Geriatric Centers in the city of Cuenca. The data was collected with the Barthel Index and analyzed with the Microsoft Excel and SPSS Statistics version 27.0 programs. Results: The "Splendor" Geriatric Center presented 40.0% of people with total dependence, unlike 43.8% of the "Hogar Miguel León" Geriatric Center. The statistical analysis (p-value = 0.028) indicated a significant association between the geriatric center and physical dependence. Furthermore, the Barthel index revealed that 41.9% of the population was totally dependent, indicating a significant need for assistance in all daily activities. Severe dependence affected 16.1%, and 17.7% were classified as independent. Conclusions: The conclusions revealed that the type of geriatric center influences physical dependence, decreasing with age and presenting variations between genders and educational levels. These findings highlight the relevance of social and educational factors in autonomy, crucial aspects for nursing care in geriatric settings.