O efeito dos centros de dia na progressão da demência e na sobrecarga do cuidador: um estudo retrospectivo

Introduction: The increasing aging of the population and consequent increase in the incidence of age-related diseases, arouses interest in the development of policies that help care for dementia. Dementia is characterized by cognitive impairment and activities of daily living and is one of the most disabling diseases in the world. These changes make the patient dependent on care in his daily routine, which is usually assumed by a relative. The Day Care Centre´s (DC) are structures developed in response to the aging of the population, with the purpose of promoting autonomy and independence of the elderly and can support the care of people with dementia. The present study aims to evaluate the retrospective analysis of data on cognitive screening (ACE-R and MMSE), functionality (DAD), behavior (ICF) and caregiver burden (Zarit Interview) of 105 patients diagnosed with dementia, followed in a hospital between 2008 and 2016. Data from the tests were collected at an initial and second evaluation, performed after an interval of 6 months to 2 years. We compared the results of three groups, divided into: they attended DC only in the second evaluation (G1), they attended DC in both evaluations (G2) and patients who did not attend DC (G3). Results: The group that did not attend the DC presented better results regarding the cognitive, functional and behavioral aspects, suggesting less progression of the disease in these aspects. Conclusion: Considering that there are other studies that have identified positive contributions of DC in dementia care, the results highlight the importance of the adaptation of the DC to the care of elderly people with dementia diagnosis.