Atuação do enfermeiro no cuidado à saúde da pessoa idosa com Alzheimer: revisão integrativa

Abstract

Introduction: Population aging encompasses health problems that challenge health and social security systems, however, aging does not necessarily mean getting sick (KALACHE, 2008). It is estimated that there are 35.6 million people with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in the world, with a tendency to double by the year 2030 and triple by 2050 (WHO, 2021). In Brazil, the possibility is that there are about 1.2 million people with AD and most people with the disease have not yet been diagnosed and have not started the necessary treatment (GAION, 2020). Objective: To characterize the profile of scientific publications converging on care for the elderly with Alzheimer's, and the role of nurses in this care, with an emphasis on the strategies developed and challenges faced, in the light of publications on the subject produced in the period from 2017 to 2022. Methodology: An integrative review (IR) study, whose purpose is to synthesize results obtained in research and studies on a given topic and provide complex results, theories or problems related to health care, relevant to nursing and clinical practice. It is based on six phases: (1) elaboration of the guiding question; (2) search or sampling in the literature; (3) data collection; (4) critical analysis of included studies; (5) discussion of results; (6) presentation of the integrative review (ERCOLE, MELO, ALCOFORADO, 2014; MENDES, SILVEIRA, GALVÃO, 2008). Results and Discussion: A search was performed in the databases LILACS, VHL/BDENF, PubMed/Medline in August 2022. The descriptors of health sciences, elderly; Alzheimer's; articulated by the Boolean operator AND, being found in a total of 22 articles, and including 06 definitively. Studies were obtained that emphasized knowledge and attitude towards people with AD among Jordanian nurses; the association between the type of shift work, schedule and duration, and the incidence of dementia in the DNC (Danish Nurse Cohor); the FOC-PP practice process helping nurses to understand Alzheimer's patients who show resistance to care behaviors during body care; the personal health experience of nurses with serious illness and end-of-life care differs from the general population; the availability of services related to behavioral health disorders and facility-level factors associated with the difficulty of providing services in nursing homes; patient satisfaction after geriatric assessment in primary care; and aspects of Alzheimer's disease, such as how the caregiver and family members should work with the person with this dementia and how nursing professionals can contribute to quality care. Conclusion: Conclusion: Knowledge about the health care of elderly people with Alzheimer's and the understanding of the nurse's role in this perspective were expanded. The need for improvement of professionals in the elaboration of the care plan for patients with AD was evidenced, with nurses being the key element in care planning. It was concluded, therefore, that this study makes a strong contribution to the training of health professionals, with relevance to the articulation between teaching, service and research in different health contexts.