Dementia in Institutionalized Elderly: A Nursing Team’s Experiences and Perceptions

Abstract

Objective: to understand nursing workers' experiences with the nursing care provided to elderly individuals with dementia living in a long-term care facility. Method: comprehensive qualitative study conducted in a long-term care facility located in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Brazil, from July to September 2018. Thirteen nursing technicians and one nurse participated. Data were collected using questionnaires, field diaries, individual interviews, and participatory observation. Thematic content analysis was used to interpret content. Results: three themes emerged from data analysis: "Knowledge acquired with practice and gap existing in the care provided to institutionalized elderly individuals with dementia"; "Individualized care provided to elderly individuals and bonding"; and "Conflicts the nursing staff faces when reconciling care needs, the time available, and the facility's routines". These themes originated the central theme: Meanings assigned to the nursing care provided to institutionalized elderly individuals with dementia. By sharing information regarding care actions that obtained positive results, the staff perceived the importance of an individualized approach and of establishing bonds as a therapeutic process. Gaps were identified in the professionals' knowledge regarding how to provide hygiene care when individuals become aggressive, agitated, or resist care. Conclusion: health workers' experience is a source of evidence for evidence-based practice and is also essential to fill in existing gaps between knowledge and care delivery.