Funcionalidade familiar de idosos hospitalizados

Abstract

Introduction: Although aging is not directly associated with illness and disability, chronic degenerative diseases are constantly found among the elderly. The generation of functional disabilities and the increase in hospitalization rates in this period have important implications, especially for the elderly and their families. An adequate family organization can increase the quality of life of the elderly, showing how significant family interactions are and how family support produces personalized care. Having family care is an expressive determinant to increase the well-being of the elderly. Objective: To analyze the functionality in the family relationships of hospitalized elderly and to verify if there is an association between the degree of dependence, cognitive impairment, depressive signs and symptoms and the family support received by the elderly. Methodology: Exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. As data collection instruments, a sociodemographic and clinical questionnaire and the Katz, Lawton, Mini Mental State Examination, geriatric depression and family APGAR scales were used. Results: A total of 233 elderly people participated in the research, most of them men (63.1%), aged between 60 and 70 years (54.7%), married (51.1%), 66.5% of them were smokers and 48 .1% chronic alcoholics. The most prevalent chronic diseases were Systemic Arterial Hypertension (66.5%), followed by Diabetes Mellitus (30.9%). Of the total, 67.0% had preserved cognition, 47.2% were independent to perform basic activities of daily living, however, only 2.1% were independent to perform instrumental activities of daily living, 77.2% showed signs of depression and 59.2% had good family functionality. Statistical analysis showed no association between family functioning and functional, cognitive capacity or presence of signs of depression. Conclusion: Considering that in Brazil there are still few studies on this subject, it is necessary to discuss this topic that is extremely relevant because it can detect fragility in the home environment, situations that impair the treatment and put the life of the elderly at risk. Characterizing itself as an important tool, the family APGAR is an easy-to-apply instrument that can help health professionals who deal with hospitalized elderly people, identifying risk factors associated with family dysfunction.