A influência dos centros de dia no cuidado de pessoas com demência

Abstract

Introduction: The increasing aging of the population and consequent increase in theincidence of age-related diseases, arouses interest in the development of policies thathelp care for dementia. Dementia is characterized by cognitive impairment and activitiesof daily living, and is one of the most disabling diseases in the world. These changes makethe 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 thepopulation, 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 at a hospital in Almada between the years 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.

Date of Award	25 Jun 2018
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Maria Vânia Silva Nunes (Supervisor) & Ana Silvestre (Co-Supervisor)