Cuidar de quem cuida
: intervenção do enfermeiro especialista em enfermagem comunitária

Translated title of the thesis: Look after who cares: intervention of specialist nurse in community nursing
  • Marta Soares Dias (Student)

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

Demographic aging and changes in the behavioral, structural and epidemiological patterns of families in society have been determining new health needs, for which emerges to organize more adequate responses. In addition to the Portuguese cultural tradition, health and social policies also advise the maintenance of elderly and dependent people at home, which leads to a decrease in the economic costs associated with hospitalization for the NHS, but also to an increase in the emotional quality of the patient himself who is surrounded by his beloved. Health professionals and, in primary health care should develop responses adjusted to the specific care needs of users and their caregivers, in a comprehensive and multidimensional approach, since a large part of these caregivers, due to several factors intrinsic to caregiving, feel unable to cope with the individual's physical and mental dependence on care, which results in overloading the informal caregiver. Community nursing has a contribution in it´s contribution, since using the methodology of health planning, it promotes the monitoring of the health status of a population, developing intervention strategies, promoting capacity building to reduce problems and needs. It also establishes the articulation and partnerships with the existing resources in the community, in order to obtain health gains. The project developed throughout the internship was based on the theoretical reference and conceptual model of Betty Neuman. Its main objective was to train the informal caregivers, according to their needs, at the level of knowledge, psychological and social support, in order to reduce their levels of overload. The nurse specialist in community nursing should know the family and their needs to promote healthy and competent exercise of the role of caregiver, since a qualified family can: protect their rights, minimize stress, avoiding the caregiver's overload; ensure quality care for your sick relative and be effectively included in the care process. This reality has led to a greater awareness of the importance of maintaining the quality of life of those who are cared for, but also of those who care, therefore, their contribution is fundamental. Never forgetting that caregivers also age with all the physical, psychological and social exhaustion, the informal caregiver should emerge as a focus of attention, so that their aging will be done with health, autonomy and independence, as long as possible, today, a challenge to individual and collective responsibility, with significant translation in countries' economic development.
Date of Award29 Oct 2019
Original languagePortuguese
Awarding Institution
  • Universidade Católica Portuguesa
SupervisorAmélia Simões Figueiredo (Supervisor)

Keywords

  • Informal caregiver
  • Elderly
  • Needs
  • Community nursing

Designation

  • Mestrado em Enfermagem

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