SWALLOWING PERFORMANCE OF ELDERLY PEOPLE AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC, COGNITIVE AND LANGUAGE FACTORS
Deglutition, Aging, Cognition, Language Tests, Demographic Indicators.
Objective: To describe the swallowing, language and cognition performance and the sociodemographic data of predominantly elderly people, in addition to verifying the association between swallowing and other factors. Methodology: Analytical crosssectional study, with non-probabilistic sample for convenience and data collection by telecall. The aspiration screening test (Yale Swallow Protocol) was used to identify and exclude elderly people at risk of aspiration. Then, sociodemographic data were collected and instruments were applied: activities of daily living (IADLs), risk of dysphagia (EAT-10), cognitive screening (Mini Mental State Examination - MMSE) and language (Montreal-Battery Battery). Language Toulouse – MTL-Brazil). Results: The sample consisted of 32 elderly people from the Federal District, with a mean age of 69.00+7.73 years and a study time of 10.00+5.60 years. The scores on the EAT-10, MMSE and MTL Battery instruments were altered and indicated risk of dysphagia, cognitive and language alteration in four, 22 and 26 elderly, respectively. Regarding food, 13 elderly people (40%) complained of the need for modified food, 10 of them with MMSE scores suggestive of cognitive impairment and six with partial dependence for some activity of daily living. When comparing the groups with and without complaints or risk of dysphagia, there was no statistically significant difference in relation to sociodemographic, cognitive and language variables. Binary logistic regression models also showed non-significant results. Conclusion: Despite the statistically non-significant results, the elderly with swallowing complaints showed results suggestive of cognitive and language alterations