O processo de cuidar da pessoa idosa com doença de Alzheimer (DA) numa estrutura residencial para pessoas idosas (ERPI)

: perspetivas das ajudantes de ação direta (AADA)

Abstract

Introduction: The aging of the population at European level, the incidence and
prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD), the burden on caregivers, the
institutionalization of the elderly person in Nursing home, now called ERPI leads to the
need for greater knowledge about the process to care for the elderly person with AD,
from the perspective of formal caregivers. It aims to understand the process of caring
for the elderly person with a institutionalized OF ERPI, knowing their needs, difficulties
and strategies in the care used by the ADF. It is part of the research question "How do
you build the process of taking care of the elderly person with institutionalized OF a
ERPI, from the perspective of the AAD?”.
Methodology: An exploratory and descriptive study, with a qualitative approach, using
a non-probabilistic sample for convenience. For this, non-participant / indirect
observation was used, the semi-structured interview for the data collection and,
consequently, the content analysis proposed by Laurence Bardin (2011).
Results: The overall result lay bare the complexity of the phenomenon and enable an
increase in knowledge about the nature of the care process: Elderly Person needs,
difficulties in care and used intervention strategies. The needs identified were:
physiological, affective, security, relational/social, occupational and total/overall care.
The difficulties emerged: the defining characteristics of the caregiver's own patient,
caregiver knowledge and the organizational aspects. As intervention strategies:
comfort, safety, communication verbal language, orientation in time and espace,
information/clarification. And yet the proposals for improvement in care.
Conclusions: This process comes from multiple multidimensional needs of the elderly
person, it is conditioned by difficulties inherent in the dyad caregiver/elder, and
aspects related to the organization and is managed by a variety of strategies
(intentional) capable of being promoters of comfort and well-being the elder.

Date of Award	26 Jul 2017
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Patrícia Pontífice-Sousa (Supervisor)