title: Comparison between ability and performance: a study on the functionality of dependent elderly individuals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to compare the ability and performance of Basic Activities of Daily Living of dependent elderly individuals cared for in a geriatric healthcare center.
  
  
  METHODS
  cross-sectional, observational study with quantitative approach. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) was applied in 109 elderly individuals cared for in a geriatric healthcare center. Of these, 60 individuals were classified as dependent in the case of basic activities of daily living described according to the International Classification of Functionality, Disability and Health (ICF). The process of triangulation reinforced reliability of data, which included information provided by patients and caregivers and that contained in medical files and objective assessment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the average age was 81.0±7.1 with a predominance of women. The difference between ability and performance was statistically significant (p<0.05) in most daily tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the contribution of this study in using ICF was semi-quantitatively interpreting its qualifiers, which enabled more objective comparisons and inferences, and revealed a clear distance between the performance and ability of these individuals in most of the assessed activities.
authors.forename: Flávia Nunes
authors.initials: FN
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Nunes
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo HorizonteMG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sônia Maria
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male