Famílias clássicas do concelho do Porto com parentes institucionalizados

: das causas da institucionalização aos requisitos relevantes para o cuidado no domicílio

Abstract

This dissertation falls within the scope of the problem of institutionalization of dependents on self-care, on classic households within the town area of Oporto. It was an investigation that had the following objectives: i) identify the number of classic households with dependent relatives in self-care, which are institutionalized; ii) identify the causes underlying the decision to institutionalization; iii) identify the essential requirements, according to the families, to maintain the dependents in the household; iv) explore the level of family involvement in the process of institutionalization. The followed study involved exploratory, descriptive and transversal method, as well as a quantitative approach. It was built a form, through literature review and consensus among the research team. The data were collected ("door-to-door") between July and September 2009, based on a probabilistic, randomized and stratified sample by parish, which resulted in an initial sample of 2445 families. Of these, 2314 agreed to respond to the preliminary investigation, and 148 reported having a family member institutionalized, which amounts to 6.4%. However, only 111 families agreed to take the survey (specific) centered on institutionalization. The data that emerged from this study show that, for each dependent institutionalized, there are about 2.4 dependents who remain at home. We also found that most institutionalized persons are female and are widowed or single. The decision to institutionalize is essentially made by the family as a whole and based on the person’s dependence in self-care. The families who have expressed a desire of the return to the dependent relative at home, all pointed as very important the "support of the health care system". The main strategies used to facilitate the process of institutionalization were previous visits to the institution and, after that, the frequent visits to the relative institutionalized. Overall, families are very satisfied with the services provided by the institutions that welcomed their relative

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Filipe Pereira (Supervisor) & Paulo Parente (Supervisor)