Repositório RCAAP

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify the association between the characteristics of the support network and cognitive performance of older caregivers and compare characteristics between caregivers and non-caregivers. Methods: we evaluated 85 older caregivers and 84 older non-caregivers registered with primary care units regarding sociodemographic characteristics, cognition, and social support. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Results: among non-caregivers, significant associations were found between a better cognitive performance and receiving emotional/affectionate support; each one-point increase in the emotional support score and affectionate support score was related to a 0.43-point and 0.39-point increase in cognitive assessment, respectively. Among older caregivers, each one-point increase in the emotional support score was related to a 0.55-point increase in cognitive assessment. Conclusion: strengthening the support networks of older caregivers and encouraging satisfactory exchanges of social support can assist in improving cognitive performance, which can have a positive impact on caregivers’ health.

ABSTRACT Objective: To validate the defining characteristics of the nursing diagnoses, impaired memory and chronic confusion for older adults, by testing diagnostic concept definitions among expert nurses. Methods: We used a Diagnostic content validation using an online survey of expert clinical nurses. Results: 195 expert nurses performed the diagnostic validations. Findings provided validity of impaired memory with 11 major defining characteristics and chronic confusion, with 11 major and one minor defining characteristics. In both diagnoses, content validity index was 0.85. Factor analysis provided four and five supported factors for impaired memory and chronic confusion, respectively. Conclusion: The study provided evidence of validity of the two diagnoses and made them clearer. Using these updated nursing diagnoses, nurses have the potential to improve accuracy and quality of care for elderly patients, contributing to more accurate nursing gerontological care.

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the oral hygiene care for hospitalized elderly patients provided by the nursing staff. Method: this is a qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study carried out in a university hospital, with the participation of 35 professionals from the nursing staff. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews, explored through thematic content analysis. Results: two categories emerged: The oral hygiene of hospitalized elderly patients as an extension of body care and Barriers in (lack of) care with the oral hygiene of hospitalized elderly patients, with two subcategories: The oral hygiene and dental prosthesis technique performed divergently; Care hampered by deficit of materials and human resources. Final considerations: this study showed weaknesses in the oral hygiene care of hospitalized elderly patients, promoting reflections on the practice informed in data and management actions, allowing recommendations of care standards for the nursing staff.

ABSTRACT Objective: to understand elderly people’s experiences in emergencies through access to other levels of health care. Methods: a phenomenological study in the light of Heidegger, conducted with 19 elderly patients admitted to an Emergency Care Unit of the city of Salvador, between April and October 2019. Results: ontic primacy: Disposition of the experience of elderly people waiting for regulation; Constitutional anguish and fear in the willingness to be an elderly person waiting for regulation in an Emergency Care Unit; Inappropriate elderly being suppressed while waiting for regulation; Being an elderly person unveiled in the existential modality of being for death. Ontological primacy: Heal how to be the presence of elderly people waiting for regulation. Final considerations: elderly people being anguished and afraid, feelings that allow the questioning of their own being, who want a healing and seeks ways that allows an active and proper participation in care.

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify sociodemographic and health characteristics according to age groups and to analyze the association between self-assessed health status and satisfaction with regular/bad life with sociodemographic characteristics, global functioning and falls of older adults linked to home care within the primary health care network. Method: cross-sectional study with 124 older adults, conducted using home interviews. A sociodemographic data and health status questionnaire was used, together with Barthel Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Timed Up and Go Test. Bivariate and multivariate analyses (Poisson regression) were applied. Results: there was a predominance of female octogenarians. Self-assessment of regular/bad health was associated with mild (p=0.002) and severe (p<0.001) depressive symptoms. Satisfaction with regular/bad life was associated with fear of falling (p=0.019) and with mild (p<0.001) and severe (p<0.001) depressive symptoms. Conclusion: depressive symptoms were associated with a worse life satisfaction and health self-assessment.

ABSTRACT Objective: to verify the validity and reliability of the Psychological Distress Scale for screening mental distress. Methods: a cross-sectional study with 75 elderly people. Psychological Distress scale and Self Reporting Questionnaire were used. Criterion validity was verified using Spearman’s correlation and diagnostic accuracy measures. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to investigate reliability. Results: the total internal consistency of the Psychological Distress Scale was α=0.844. Concurrent validity between this instrument and the Self Reporting Questionnaire was ρ=0.722 (p<0.001). The best cut-off point for screening mental distress among elderly people was a total score greater than 14, with sensitivity equal to 75.47% and specificity equal to 85.0%. Conclusions: the scale was robust for screening mental distress, given its high reliability, in terms of homogeneity, and adequate criterion validity, whose best cut-off point for screening was a score greater than 14.

ABSTRACT Objective: to know the perception of nurses, undergraduate students, and professors about the competencies for professional nurses in elder care. Methods: this is a qualitative analytical study developed with six professors, four nurses, and 12 nursing students. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Fiorin’s Discourse technique, with support from the MAXQDA software. Results: the competencies identified included knowledge of theories and general concepts of gerontology, communication, listening, leadership, teamwork, proactivity, respect, and empathy. Final considerations: knowing the competencies contributes to understanding the aging process and qualifying nurses for elder care.

ABSTRACT Objective: to assess elderly people’s quality of life, understanding the social representations of falls. Methods: a convergent mixed methods research carried out at homes, with a sample of 134 elderly people. A structured questionnaire was used, covering sociodemographic variables and factors that indicated frailty and risk of falling. For quality of life assessment, Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 and Theory of Social Representations, Abric’s structural approach were used, with data treated by dictionary of equivalent terms, processed in Evoc 2000, converging analytically according to Neuman. Results: quality of life impairment was identified in terms of physical, emotional and functional capacity. The elements of the possible central nucleus were fall, fear, and bruised-broken-bone. Final considerations: quality of life impairment can contribute to increase the number of falls, which has been shown to be an event present in elderly people’s lives through evocations. Understanding elderly people’s individual demands allows planning actions.

ABSTRACT Objective: to compare cognitive performance of elderly caregivers with and without chronic pain over four years and verify the effect of pain intensity on cognitive performance of elderly caregivers with chronic pain. Method: a longitudinal study with data collected in 2014 and 2018. Community-dwelling elderly caregivers of a Brazilian city participated in the study. Cognition was assessed using the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination instrument. Pain was assessed by an 11-point scale. For data analysis, a mixed linear model and ANCOVA with a 5% significance level were used. Results: they were divided into two groups. A cognitive decline over four years was found in elderly people with pain (p=0.02; 95%CI=0.32-4.25), while those without pain did not show a significant change. Conclusion: the results show that elderly caregivers with pain had a worse cognitive performance, but when comparing groups with the ANCOVA test for intergroup analysis, there was no difference in cognitive performance.

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the factors associated with quality of life of the older adults with chronic pain. Method: Cross-sectional study conducted with 239 older adults in outpatient care in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The World Health Organization Quality of Life–Old (WHOQOL-OLD) instrument contains six domains and was applied to assess quality of life. Simple and multiple linear regressions were used in the statistical analysis. Results: The factors associated with Sensory Abilities were age (β = - 0.52), time spent together (β = - 14.35; - 17.86; - 15.57), and pain intensity (β = - 1, 70). Autonomy was associated with depression (β = - 5.99) and chest pain (β = - 6.17). Social participation related to schooling (β = - 0.64), diabetes mellitus (β = - 8.15), depression (β = - 14.53), pain intensity (β = - 1.43), and lower limb pain (β = - 5.94). Past, present and future activities related to depression (β = - 6.94). Death and dying related to hypertension (β = - 8.40), while Intimacy to depression (β = - 5.99) and headache/face pain (β = - 3.19). Conclusion: The time experiencing chronic pain and the location of this experience, as well as depression, diabetes and systemic arterial hypertension were factors that had greater influence on the older adult’s Quality of Life domains.

ABSTRACT Objective: to describe the sociodemographic and health characteristics of elderly people, measure the score of total resilience and by sex and verify the association of sociodemographic and health variables with total resilience and by sex. Methods: this is a household survey with 808 elderly people, assessed by validated instruments. Student’s t test and multiple linear regression (p<0.05). Results: most were female, 60|-|79 years old. The total resilience score was 78.06, for men 81.53 and for women, 76.32. Total resilience was associated with males; positive self-perceived health; greater participation in Advanced Activities of Daily Living; fewer morbidities; absence of depressive symptoms. Among men and women, resilience was associated with greater participation in Advanced Activities of Daily Living and absence of depressive symptoms and, specifically, among women, positive self-perceived health. Conclusion: these results contribute to nursing care, aiming to encourage resilience.

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the factors associated with urinary tract infection occurrence in institutionalized elderly. Methods: this is a cross-sectional, analytical, quantitative study with 116 elderly people from a Nursing Home. Urinary tract infection diagnosis was carried out through urine culture and clinical assessment. Demographic data and associated factors were obtained from medical records. Statistical analysis included bivariate analysis and logistic regression models. Results: the factors associated with urinary tract infection (p<0.05) were being female; wheelchair user; diaper use; diuretic use; urinary and bowel incontinence; type 1 diabetes; benign prostatic hyperplasia; dehydration. Conclusion: this study revealed that it is important to consider non-modifiable factors such as sex and clinical comorbidities; however, dehydration, a modifiable factor, increased the chances of developing urinary tract infections by 40 times among institutionalized elderly and demands greater attention from the health team.

ABSTRACT Objective: to build and validate an educational booklet for bathing and hygiene of elders at home. Methods: a methodological study, developed through data collection in literature and situational diagnosis, booklet construction, material qualification through validation by expert judges (11 nurses) and target audience (30 caregivers). Data were analyzed descriptively. The minimum content validity index of 0.80 was considered. Results: in content and appearance validation, experts assigned Content Validity Index global of 0.92, while for assessment of the material’s suitability, the booklet was classified as “superior”, with an average of 90%. In the validation of caregivers, the overall Content Validity Index was 1.0. Conclusion: the booklet was successfully validated and can be considered in the context of health education and collaborate with an adequate and safe practice of bathing and hygiene of elders at home.

ABSTRACT Objective: To investigate possible differences in plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of selenium among elderly with and without a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: Cross-sectional study, performed with an elderly group with Alzheimer’s disease, diagnosed by a geriatric doctor, and compared to an elderly group without the disease, equaling gender, education, and age. Atomic absorption spectrophotometry determined plasma and erythrocyte concentrations of total selenium (Set). Results: The mean age was 74.41±7.1 years in the Alzheimer’s disease group and 71.46±5.1 years among the control group. The Alzheimer’s disease group presented lower plasma concentrations (mean of 45.29±14.51 µg/dL vs. 55.14±14.01 µg/dL; p=0.004), and erythrocyte Set (median of 56.36 µg/L vs. 76.96 µg/L; p<0.001). The logistic regression model indicated an association between erythrocyte Set concentrations and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (p=0.028). Conclusion: Elderly with Alzheimer’s disease present lower selenium concentrations in the evaluated organic compartments.

ABSTRACT Objective: Analyze the coefficient, associated factors, and causes of mortality in community-dwelling elderly. Method: Longitudinal and analytical study. Data collection, at baseline, was performed in the elderly’s home. The first wave occurred after 42 months. Complementary data collection identified the cause of death. Variables analyzed: demographic, social, economic, and clinical. Logistic regression was used for data analysis. Results: The coefficient of mortality was 7.9%. The variables associated with mortality were longevity, inability to read, absence of religious practice, stroke, consultation, and hospitalization in the last 12 months. The main groups of primary causes of death were ill-defined and unspecified causes of mortality, respiratory system diseases, and neoplasms. Conclusion: The coefficient of mortality in community-dwelling elderly was lower than national and international studies investigated.

ABSTRACT Objective: To construct and validate an algorithm for transitional care for caregivers of dependent older adults. Method: This was a methodological study developed in three phases: a literature review, designing an algorithm, and its validation by a peer panel with twenty-seven experts selected according to pre-defined inclusion criteria. Results: The algorithm predicted interventions in transitional care (hospital stay, at discharge, and 30 days at home post-discharge) aimed at the exercise of the caregiver role; needs assessment; training in care management of dependent older adults and management of self-care, and ensuring continuity of care (of older adults and caregivers). Conclusion: Agreement between expert raters and a reliability test of 0.92 indicate that the algorithm can be used by professionals to decide the transitional care interventions to be administered to the caregivers of dependent older adults. Future studies should be conducted to perform its clinical validation.

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the relationship between affective and sexual experiences and the intensity of physical and psychological symptoms of older adults. Methods: observational, cross-sectional and analytical study, guided by the STROBE tool, carried out in a geriatric outpatient clinic. Sociodemographic and health questionnaire, Affective and Sexual Experiences Scale for Elderly, Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale were used. Descriptive statistical analysis and Spearman correlation were performed. Results: forty-five older adults participated, with a mean age of 73.8 years; most (91.1%) were married. The highest averages of symptom intensity were pain (4.9), anxiety (4.8), drowsiness (4.5), and a feeling of well-being (4.5). There was a negative correlation between sadness and the dimensions of sexual activity and affective relationships (rs=-0.365; p=0.014 and rs=-0.386; p=0.009) and between anxiety and sexual activity (rs=-0.308; p=0.040). Conclusion: as sadness increases, affective and sexual experiences are less. The greater the anxiety intensity, the lower the sexual experiences.

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the association between sexuality and quality of life of Brazilian elderly residents in the community. Methods: a cross-sectional study conducted with 477 Brazilian elderly. The data were collected between August and October 2020. We used the EVASI and WHOQOL-OLD (World Health Organization Quality of Life). Data analysis was performed with Mann-Whitney, Spearman and Kruskal-Wallis correlation tests, with Bonferroni post-hoc application when necessary, considering a 95% confidence interval. Results: there was a statistical association between all dimensions of sexuality and the general quality of life of the elderly (p<0.05). Conclusion: the stimulation of sexuality can be configured as an innovative and holistic strategy focused on the promotion of health and active aging, since this study found the association between sexuality and the general quality of life of elderly people.

ABSTRACT Objective: to clinically validate the nursing diagnosis of NANDA-I Frail Elderly Syndrome in hospitalized elderly. Method: a methodological study, guided by the STROBE instrument, composed of 40 elderly people admitted to a teaching hospital in Paraíba, Brazil. The last phase of Hoskins’ Nursing Diagnostic Validation Model: clinical validation was adopted. Data collection took place from August to December 2018. The data were analyzed using univariate descriptive statistics. It was approved by the hospital’s ethics and research committee. Results: nine defining characteristics were validated; seven risk factors; six populations at risk and two associated conditions. Conclusion: the validation of the nursing diagnosis of the Frail Elderly Syndrome in our socio-cultural context was considered appropriate, being an important step for critical thinking that underlies the decision-making of nurses in the care of the frail elderly, as well as professional practice.

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze the planning and implementation of the care offered by nurses to elders with coronary disease during the hospital-house transition. Methods: Qualitative research that used the Transitions Theory as a theoretical reference. The participants were 12 nurses who work in a hospital that specializes in cardiology, in the city of Salvador-BA. A semistructured interview was carried out from January to February 2018, and the data was analyzed using the Content Analysis technique. Results: Transition care takes place on the day of discharge. The presence of the family was found to be a facilitator; low adherence, poor financial situations, the low educational levels inhibited its implementation. The rehospitalization is an indicator of the results of the transition of care. Final considerations: The planning and implementation of transition care is not effective. It must provide safety in the management of self-care in the home of elders with coronary disease and their families.