INTRODUCTION: Population aging is a reality in Brazil, due to the fall in the fertility rate, advances in medicine, treatment of diseases, early diagnoses and the creation of policies for the health of the elderly. In this context, it is important to highlight the Long Stay Institution for the Elderly (ILPI), which are governmental or non-governmental institutions of a residential nature, considered to be the collective home of the elderly, with or without family support. According to the Ministry of Health (MS), about 50% of LTCF residents have a psychiatric problem, with dementia and depression being the most common. In the midst of this scenario, the Mini Mental State Examination (Mini Mental State Examination / MEEM) has been increasingly used to assess the cognitive function of the elderly. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the Mini Mental State Examination in institutionalized and non-institutionalized elderly. METHODOLOGY: A research protocol was applied to obtain epidemiological data such as age, sex, marital status, education, mobility and length of stay at the LTCF (if applicable), in addition to a rapid test for cognitive analysis such as Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Epidemiological data were recorded in a specific research form developed by the authors. The total sample consisted of 90 patients, 60 non-institutionalized treated on an outpatient basis at CEMEC and 30 institutionalized at the ILPI Lar da Providência. RESULTS: In our research, we obtained an average MMSE score of 20.4. In the group of noninstitutionalized individuals, the average was 22.11 compared to 17.03 in the group of institutionalized individuals. The averages found for elderly in the community in other studies were 26.315, 24.53 and 24.720 close to the averages found in our study and always higher than those of the LTCF: 19.921, 11.715 and 12.5620. We found, therefore, that institutionalization contributes to the decline in cognitive ability (DCC) and that the lack of autonomy generated by the LTCF itself in providing what the elderly need (food, environmental and personal hygiene) ends up causing a compromise in their functional capacity and healthy aging. CONCLUSION: The results can be studied and used to promote health actions that aim to improve care for the elderly population, favoring the development of public policies aimed at maintaining functional and cognitive capacity aiming at the health conditions of the elderly that promote well-being, independence and vitality.
