Cogitare Enfermagem (Jun 2012)

QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FAMILY MEMBERS CARING FOR THE ELDERLY WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE: CONTRIBUTION TO AN EXTENSION PROJECT

  • Silomar Ilha,
  • Cláudia Zamberlan,
  • Maria Helena Gehlen,
  • Matheus Viero Dias,
  • Glaucia Dal Omo Nicola,
  • Dirce Stein Backes

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5380/ce.v17i2.27876
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 17, no. 2
pp. 270 – 276

Abstract

Read online

This study aimed to describe the perception of family members caring for elderly relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, members of an extension project (AMICA), concerning the contribution of the project to the improving of their quality of life. It is descriptive-exploratory research, with a qualitative character, carried out through a semi-structured questionnaire, and was applied between April and May of 2011, to six carers/family members of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. The data analyzed resulted in the categories Quality of life, individual and collective well-being; the AMICA Group as a promoter of quality of life; and Opportunity to establish dialogs of knowledge resulting in greater comprehension about the illness. The AMICA Group, in this construct, is shown as an important promoter of the quality of life of family carers, who recognize their importance. However, more studies are necessary on the quality of life of family carers for elderly persons suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Keywords