Objective:

to determine the association between sensory function and cognition in elder adults with chronic disease.

Materials and Methods:

Correlational study in 98 elder adults from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Sensory function was assessed through the measurement of taste, smell and touch or sensitivity of the feet. The MoCA test was applied for cognitive evaluation. The data was analyzed in the statistical package SPSS-20, the Spearman Correlation test was applied : cognition was positively related to taste (rs = 0.336; p=0.001), smell (rs = 0.297; p = 0.003), sensitivity of the left foot (rs = 0.380; p = 0.000) and sensitivity of the right foot (rs = 0.256; p = 0.011).

Conclusions:

The cognitive and sensory function of elder adults becomes a scenario that can guide decision-making for interventions in chronicity and development of public policies.