Saúde da pessoa idosa e as complicações do Alzheimer: revisão integrativa

Abstract

Introduction. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a pathology that manifests itself in greater or lesser degrees of significant impairment of memory and physical, motor, and intellectual abilities. However, there are cases in which the patient is in a later stage of the disease, in a situation where most of the time they no longer have control over themselves (Caetano; Silva; Silveira, 2017). Objective. To describe the health of the elderly and the complications of Alzheimer's, highlighting the quality of life and health of caregivers, family members, and those being cared for, in light of publications on the subject. Methodology. This is an integrative review (IR), composed of: (1) elaboration of the guiding question; (2) literature search or sampling; (3) data collection; (4) critical analysis of the included studies; (5) discussion of the results; (6) presentation of the integrative review (Mendes; Silveira; Galvão, 2008). Results. The themes addressed focused on the role of nursing, humanized care, care practices aimed at elderly people with dementia, nursing care in health institutions, and the biopsychosocial repercussions of the disease for caregivers and family members. Conclusion. It is concluded that strengthening care for elderly people with Alzheimer's requires the consolidation of policies that guarantee the longitudinality of care and the continuing education of health teams. The strategic role of nursing, in articulating clinical care with health education and psychosocial support, proves fundamental in providing continuous support to families, respecting the complexity and dignity inherent in the process of end-of-life care and prolonged care.