Introduction Dependency and dysphagia are conditions that often co-exist in frail elderly. The aim of this study was to determine the association between the level of function in activities of daily living and severity of dysphagia in bedridden older adults. Method A functional and clinical assessment of swallowing was conducted on a purposive sample of 30 elderly bedridden Primary Health Care patients, with the intention of obtaining measurements of functional independence and severity of dysphagia. It was then determined if both variables were associated using a bivariate correlation analysis. Results Of the total participants, 6 (20%) had normal swallowing and 24 (80%) a diagnosis of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Among both groups, there were statistically significant differences (P < .05) between the groups in all domains of the assessment of the functionality and the total result. There was a positive and statistically significant correlation between the total result of the assessment of the functionality and degree of severity of oropharyngeal dysphagia. Discussion The results of this study showed that the level of dependence is associated with the severity of dysphagia, suggesting that as the functional compromise of bedridden patients increases the severity of the swallowing disorder is probably greater. Consequently, deterioration in functionality represents a major risk factor in the incidence and exacerbation of oropharyngeal dysphagia in the bedridden elderly.