Conceptualizaciones sobre la atención a personas con demencia en residencias de mayores

Abstract

A pesar de la importancia de las percepciones familiares en el análisis de la atención en residencias de mayores, apenas se han indagado estos ascpetcos. El objetivo de este estudio es conocer las preferencias y las áreas de mejora percibidas por los familiares sobre los cuidados a personas con demencia. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo, a partir de la Teoría Fundamentada, combinando dos técnicas de recogida de datos (observación participante y entrevistas en profundidad) en una muestra teórica de familiares de personas con demencia institucionalizadas. El modelo de atención óptima a personas con demencia, percibido por los participantes, se basó en una atención especializada e individualizada y en la participación de la familia en el cuidado. Entre las áreas de mejora se incluyeron aspectos relacionados con una mayor formación específica en Geriatría, relaciones humanas y con la cultura del trabajo institucional. Frente a la vigente tendencia de tecnificación del cuidado, las familias exigen una atención personalizada y en pequeña escala, donde ellas mismas sean parte activa del proceso de atención.

Institutionalized elderly people with dementia: an integrative review on nursing care

“…Lower stress rate for the team and increased use of short instructions and positive communication between the team and the elderly. (18) .…”

“…It can be affected by the cognitive difficulties of the elderly; their reduced capacity for understanding and verbal expression; cultural differences; and misunderstandings and nuances in communication (15,29,36,38) . To be effective, the team can rely on established communication models, such as Marte Meo, Communication Enhancement Model (8,17) , theoretical knowledge about the factors involved in the verbal and non-verbal communication (22) and the establishment of empathic communication (18,43) . A guideline on nursing care for patients with dementia addresses effective communication in a very comprehensive way, involving the factors mentioned above, also distinguishing the actions for each stage of the disease evolution, team self-evaluation concerning the results of interactions with the elderly, use of support tools, and the importance of the team's knowledge about dementia (20) .…”

“…Another aspect directly related to the care of the elderly are the skills and attitudes of the team. The skills required are: capacity for social support and interaction with the elderly, scientific knowledge about dementia, and systematic observation of the elderly (18,25,43) . Among other aspects, the family and the elderly expect the nursing team to demonstrate positive attitudes in care actions, being friendly, polite, generous, empathetic, and motivated to care.…”

“…In a micro vision of the LTCIE, each environment should be designed with the objective of providing the easy reach and visualization of the materials required to care or satisfice the needs of residents. The environment can also be considered a health promotion factor, when it enables and encourages healthy eating habits, hydration, mobility, and interaction between residents, staff and family (18,26,37) .…”

“…Another way to favor family participation is to create institutional policies that allow them to participate in daily care -expanding visiting hours and allowing them to perform basic care when appropriate, valuing the information they have about the elderly. The family is an important source of information, because it knows how the elder was before developing dementia and can provide data on their history prior to the disease (18,29) .…”