Atenção domiciliar: custo familiar com o idoso dependente pela Doença de Alzheimer

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was the family cost of elderly dependent on Alzheimer's disease in Home Care. With the process of population aging and as a consequence of this, there is an increase in the incidence of chronic degenerative diseases, among them the dementias are highlighted. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is considered the most prevalent and incident dementia in the elderly population, becoming an important public health problem, due to its complexity, since it entails total dependence in later stages and requires more complex, in addition to the need for emotional and financial support from the family. It is therefore intended to develop a substantive theoretical analysis on the cost of family care for the elderly dependent on Alzheimer's disease. A qualitative investigation was carried out using the Data Based Theory approach. The research was operationalized in two stages. The first, of an exploratory nature, in the scenario of the Home Care Service, was carried out the survey of the elderly enrolled in the period from April 2016 to March 2017. The second, according to a household survey, was to identify the socio-demographic and economic profile of the participants, the staging of the disease was evaluated, as well as an understanding of the family costs of the elderly dependent on AD. Participants were divided into 3 sample groups. The first one composed of two participants, considering the need to use new research questions, conformed a second sample group, composed of eight participants. The third sample group, made up of six participants, allowed the validation of the substantive theoretical model, based on the findings of this research. The analysis of the data of the first stage were organized in a spreadsheet of the program Microsoft Excel and analyzed by descriptive statistics. The analysis of the data of the second stage was carried out through three types of codification: open, axial and selective coding; using the OpenLogos® version 2.0 program to perform the textual editing of empirical data and open coding. The following categories emerged from the data: Alzheimer's disease: the impact of home care on the family; understanding home care as the best option, but experiencing the consequences; being enrolled in HCS: attenuating the implications of home care; managing home care: using feelings to ease the burden; the repercussions of HCS: reflections on family costs and understanding household costs with AD: implications for the family, the latter being the central category of the study. It is concluded that the main repercussions related to the direct, indirect and intangible family costs, with the care of the elderly dependent on AD at home, are related to the severity of this pathology and not to the follow-up by the Home Care Service (HCS) facilitator in the process of home care. In addition, HCS, in the context of population aging, appears as an assistance alternative for long-term care in an integral manner, promoting a more qualified assistance to users with functional dependence, such as the elderly with Alzheimer's.