Screening with a simplified instrument is effective for identifying elderly at risk of functional decline, for more comprehensive subsequent evaluation. However, use of a measurement tool in a different sociocultural context from the original requires prior adaptation. The current article aims to describe the initial stages of a cross-cultural adaptation of PRISMA-7, a questionnaire developed to identify community-dwelling elderly at risk of functional decline. Evaluation of conceptual and item equivalences showed pertinence to the Brazilian context. Semantic equivalence covered the correspondence in referential (denotative) and connotative meaning. The pretest showed that the instrument's synthesis version has good acceptability. The results suggest the use of PRISMA-7 in the Brazilian context as a screening tool for identifying risk of functional decline in the elderly.