Trata-se de uma pesquisa de cunho qualitativo que tem como objetivos desvelar as vivências de famílias de classe popular no cuidado a familiares idosos fragilizados, no domicílio, bem como obter subsídios para a sistematização do cuidado de enfermagem a essas famílias. O Referencial Teórico aborda temas relacionados à área temática do estudo: o cuidado de enfermagem domiciliar, a família de classe popular e a pessoa idosa fragilizada. Os sujeitos dessa investigação, intencionalmente escolhidos a partir de critérios previamente estabelecidos, são quatro famílias pertencentes à população adstrita a uma Unidade Sanitária do município de Porto Alegre. O Estudo de Caso do Tipo Etnográfico é a metodologia utilizada. Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta de dados são a Observação Participante, a Entrevista, a Análise Documental e a Ficha Informativa. Do tratamento dos dados, através da análise de conteúdo, emergiram seis categorias: Características das famílias, Concepções das famílias, A (re)organização da família para o cuidado, A família no cotidiano do cuidado, Relação com as instituições sociais, O cuidado de enfermagem domiciliar. Foi possível perceber que as famílias são multigeracionais. Sobrevivem quase que exclusivamente das aposentadorias dos idosos e enfrentam constantemente o desemprego. Sua concepção de saúde está relacionada à capacidade de trabalho. Valorizam a família, na qual o idoso é reconhecido em sua experiência de vida. Ao necessitar de cuidado, este deve ser assumido, preferencialmente, pelos familiares. Uma pessoa envolve-se mais intensamente no cuidado, mas toda a família, auxiliada por uma rede apoio, constituída de amigos e vizinhos, interage. Nas atividades cotidianas, valem-se da criatividade para adaptar utensílios e o ambiente, bem como do saber popular, como recursos nos cuidados à saúde. As dificuldades destacadas estão relacionadas à condição socioeconômica precária, à moradia, ao vestuário e ao transporte. Percebem que o suporte social a famílias cuidadoras é restrito. Destacam que o acesso aos serviços de saúde é sofrível e ressaltam a urgência em solidificar o Sistema Único de Saúde, em busca da concretização dos seus princípios. Expressam a necessidade de implantação de programas de cuidado domiciliar, interdisciplinares, que assistam a família e o idoso de forma integral, continuada, participativa, contextualizada e humanizada. / This is a qualitative research, which aims to unveil the life experience of families from lower classes at caring for their frail elderly relatives at home, as well as to obtain subsides for creating a model of nursing care for such families. The theoretical model approaches issues related to the thematic area of caring: the family nursing home care, the lower classes families, and the frail elderly. The subjects of this investigation, intentionally chosen upon the criteria previously established, were four families from the Sanitation Unity of Porto Alegre. The design of this case study was an ethnographic type. Tools used for data collection were: participated observation, an interview, a documented analysis, and the informative report. From the analysis of data, through the content analysis, six categories were established: characteristics of the families, conceptions of the families, reorganisation of the family to the care, the family within the routine of the care, the relationship with social institutions, and the nursing home care. It was possible to perceive that families are multigeneration. They survive almost exclusively from the elderlies retirement and frequently they have to cope with unemployment. Their concept of health is related to their work skills. They value the family where the elderly is recognised for his or her life experience. When he or she needs to be cared of, it has to be performed preferably by the family. One is more involved in the care, but the whole family interacts, supported by a social net, composed of friends and neighbours. In the daily activities, they use creativity to adapt goods and the environment, as well as the popular knowledge as resources in the health care. The stressed difficulties are related to the poor social-economic condition, to dwelling, clothing, and transport. They perceive that the social support to caring families is restricted. They emphasise that access to health services is appalling and magnify the urgency in strengthening the "United Health System", aiming to establish their principles. They stress the need to introduce interdisciplinary home care programs, which could assist the family and the elderly in a holistic, permanent, participating, contextural, and humanised way. / Se trata de una investigación de tipo cualitativo que tiene como objetivos descubrir las vivencias de familias de clase popular en el cuidado a familiares ancianos fragilizados, en el domicilio, así como obtener subsidios para la sistematización del cuidado de enfermería a esas familias. El Referencial Teórico aborda temas relacionados al área temática del estudio: el cuidado de enfermería domiciliar, la familia de clase popular y la persona anciana fragilizada. Los sujetos de esa investigación, intencionalmente elegidos a partir de criterios previamente establecidos, son cuatro familias pertenecientes a la población perteneciente a una Unidad Sanitaria del municipio de Porto Alegre. El Estudio de Caso de Tipo Etnográfico es la metodología utilizada. Los instrumentos utilizados para la colecta de datos son la Observación Participante, la Entrevista, el Análisis Documental y la Ficha Informativa. Del tratamiento de los datos, a través del análisis de contenido, emergieron seis categorías: Características de las Familias, Concepciones de las Familias, La (re)Organización de la Familia para el Cuidado, La Familia en la Cotidianeidad del Cuidado, Las Relaciones con las Instituciones Sociales, El Cuidado de Enfermería Domiciliar. Fue posible percibir que las familias son multigeneracionales. Sobreviven casi exclusivamente de las jubilaciones de los ancianos y enfrentan constantemente el desempleo. Su concepción de salud está relacionada a la capacidad de trabajo. Valorizan la familia, en la cual el anciano es reconocido por su experiencia de vida. Al necesitar de cuidado, este debe ser asumido, preferencialmente, por los familiares. Una persona se envuelve mas intensamente en el cuidado, pero toda la familia, auxiliada por una red de apoyo, constituida de amigos y vecinos, interactúa. En las actividades cotidianas, se valen de la creatividad para adaptar los utensilios y el ambiente, tanto del saber popular, como en los recursos para el cuidado de la salud. Las dificultades destacadas están relacionadas a la condición socioeconómica precaria, a la vivienda, al vestuario y al transporte. Perciben que el soporte social a familias cuidadoras es restricto. Destacan que el acceso a los servicios de salud es sufrible y resaltan la urgencia en solidificar el Sistema Único de Saúde (Sistema Unico de Salud), en busca de la concretización de sus principios. Expresan la necesidad de implantación de programas de cuidado domiciliar, interdisciplinares, que asistan a la familia y al anciano de forma integral, continuada, participativa, contextualizada y humanizada.

As few studies focus explicitly on social support for residents by residents in retirement communities which have staff, this thesis is designed to explore the nature of informal social support among residents at planned, non-subsidized retirement care facilities: the types, the amount, the impact, the limitation and the appropriateness of such support. Our focus is to explore whether different organization of a retirement community affects social support among residents, so we compare two retirement care facilities. One provides single-level care for its residents and the other provides multiple-level care. We chose our two sites from retirement care facilities in the City of Portland, Oregon. We generated our data by interviewing residents who live independently in the two retirement communities.

根據衛生署資料顯示，民國八十六年時，台灣地區六十五歲以上老年人口保險總數占總保險人口的8.95%，然而醫療費用卻占總醫療費用的27.09%，此現象跟台灣社會邁入高齡化之後，疾病型態慢性化的傾向有密切關係。在此情形之下，除了醫療服務需求，更迫切的是後續性的長期照護需求。個人長期照護的支出中，約有85%~90%是屬於生活照顧的部分，只有10%~15%屬於醫療照護的支出。全民健保財務之推估基礎，原係以急性醫療保健服務為主，長期照護服務給付歸由理論上屬急性醫療性質之全民健保給付略顯牽強，因此，長期照護服務建立其自給自足的財務體系有其必要性。 目前世界各地人口老化的趨勢使得長期照護的需求逐漸增加，不少國家為平衡公共部門、區域社會與家計間費用負擔，已紛紛建立長期照護服務體系。歸納已被採行的財源籌措方式，計有1.強制性健康保險(statutory health insurance)；2.租稅融通支應社會福利；3.儲金帳戶制度(saving account)；4.自付額(out-of-pocket payments)；5.宗教慈善團體。或者可由以上五類為基準，進行不同程度的搭配採行。現階段我國可行之財源籌措方式可分為以下數類：1.以社會保險方式辦理：2.以社會福利方式辦理：3.以商業保險方式辦理：4.以國民年金搭配其它方式辦理。 本研究首先對長期照護費用進行估算，推估方式將採取分別估算我國長期照護人數以及每人每年長期照護費用，在結合兩者得出1999年至2041年之長期照護費用估計，並觀察長期照護費用占該年度GDP比例。在2001年(民國90年)長期照護費用約為246億元，占該年GDP的0.23%；在2040年為8,791億元，占GDP的0.73%。 本論文討論的長期照護財源籌措方式包括社會保險、租稅融通、國民年金給付自付部分長期照護費用、年金及社會保險結合以及其它方式等。在社會保險方式之下，觀察被保險人、保險對象以及有酬就業者的主要工作收入負擔長期照護保險費用的程度和能力。其中保險對象在40、45和50歲以上負擔的三個方案，將分別在15、10和5年後，達到每月負擔1,000元左右。 租稅融通方式當中，將觀察長期照護經費占總稅收、社會福利支出以及歲出預歲的比例，以及各稅目的負擔情況，以了解政府經濟財政對長期照護經費的負擔能力。發現長期照護以社會福利方式開辦，採取稅收方式融通長期照護費用，加徵的稅額將占總稅收的1.5%左右(以1997,1998資料計算)；並且會使總稅收占GDP比例增加0.23%-0.24%。 以國民年金給付來自付部分長期照護費用方式當中，本研究發現，國民年金的調整條件符合「至少達到每月平均消費水準50%」的方案中，該國民年金給付對於長期照護費用的支應具降低總費用負擔6%至28%的效果。 另外，研究發現以國民年金結合社會保險方式，65歲以上被保險人之保險費，以國民年金給付來支付，則所支付的長期照護保險費總額，占國民年金的總額比例為1/5至1/20之間呈現遞減的狀態。顯示此方式對國民年金而言具可負擔性及可行性，並且可達到政府以移轉支付來補助長期照護保險費，減輕年輕保險對象之保險費用負擔的效果。

This project explored the values considered by elderly people, their younger relatives, and health professionals in decisions about residential long - term care, aiming to contribute to the literature on prospectively held values. The mixed methods design utilised a medical record review of 60 frail elderly hospital patients, a stratified survey of 3,015 adults in the South Australian community, and interviews with 36 stakeholders ( 10 elderly people, 10 younger relatives, and 18 health professionals ). The medical record review confirmed that the hospital patients and their outcomes resembled those described internationally. It was used to develop a hypothetical vignette, used in the later studies. Survey responses suggested that when considering a hypothetical long - term care decision, community members put the elderly person ' s physical health and safety first. Situational variables ( the elderly person ' s autonomy, environmental adaptation, and caregiver burden ) appeared secondary, albeit less so with increasing age of the respondent. Thematic analysis of the interviews demonstrated that elderly stakeholders considering a hypothetical decision were more likely to mention autonomy values, and less likely to mention safety values, than were relatives or health professionals. However, elderly stakeholders were also more likely to suggest restrictive solutions, such as residential placement and proxy decision - making. This finding raised methodological issues concerning ' third person ' vignettes, in that respondents might be responding as proxy decision - makers, rather than as if the hypothetical decision applied to themselves. The project confirmed that, in this context, prospectively held values resembled the retrospectively described values identified by McCullough, Wilson, Teasdale, Kolpakchi and Shelly ( 1993 ). Hence, the retrospective literature could be applied. The project supported the importance and complexity of psychosocial predisposing factors when applying the Andersen Behavioral Model ( Andersen, 1995 ) to long - term care decisions. Additionally, the Ecological Theory of Aging ( Nahemow, 2000 ) and the MacArthur Model of Successful Aging ( Andrews, Clark, & Luszcz, 2002 ) were found to be relevant to long - term care decisions for individuals and populations. It was concluded that both clinically, and at a policy level, discussions of long - term care could be more effective if they focussed on maintenance of elderly people ' s autonomy and control, rather than on their physical health and safety. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2006.

Impairments in balance, mobility, and lower-limb strength are common in the growing population of older people and can lead to dramatic consequences for the individual, such as dependency in activities of daily living, admission to nursing home, falls, and fractures. The main purposes of this thesis were, among older people in residential care facilities, to validate a fall-risk assessment tool and to evaluate a high-intensity functional weight-bearing exercise pro-gramme regarding its applicability as well as its effect on physical functions and falls. The prediction accuracy of the Downton fall risk index within 3, 6 and 12 months was evaluated among 78 residents, aged 65 years or more, at one residential care facility. The participants were assessed as having either a low or high fall risk according to the index and were followed-up for falls using two different fall definitions related to the cause of the fall. With all falls included, a significant prognostic separation was found between the low- and the high-risk group at 3, 6 and 12 months. A definition in which falls precipitated by acute illness, acute disease, or drug side-effects were excluded did not improve the accuracy of the fall prediction. The effect on physical functions of a high-intensity functional exercise programme was evaluated in a randomised controlled trial among 191 older people, dependent in activities of daily living, with a Mini-Mental State Examination score of ten or more, and living in nine residential care facilities. Participants were randomised to an exercise programme or a control activity, including 29 supervised sessions over 3 months, as well as to an intake of a milk-based 200 ml protein-enriched energy supplement (7.4 g protein per 100 g) or a placebo drink immediately after each session. The Berg Balance Scale, usual and maximum gait speed, and one-repetition maximum in lower-limb strength in a leg press machine were followed up at 3 and 6 months by blinded assessors and analysed using the intention-to-treat principle. Significant long-term effects of the high-intensity functional exercise programme were seen in balance, gait ability and lower-limb strength in comparison with the control activity. The intake of the protein-enriched energy supplement did not increase the effect of the training. The evaluation of the applicability of the exercise programme showed that there was a high rate of attendance, a relatively high achieved intensity in the exercises, and only two serious adverse events, neither of which led to manifest injury or disease, despite that most of the participants had severe cognitive or physical impairments. The applicability of the programme was not associated with the participants’ cognitive function. The evaluation of the fall-prevention effect of the exercise programme, during the 6 months following the intervention, showed that neither fall rate nor proportion of participants who sustained a fall differed between the exercise programme and the control activity, when all participants were compared. However, among participants who improved their balance during the intervention period, a significant reduction in fall rate was seen in favour of the exercise group. In conclusion, among older people living in residential care facilities, the Downton fall risk index appears to be a useful tool for predicting residents sustaining a fall, irrespective of the cause of the fall, even with a perspective of only a few months. A high-intensity functional exercise programme is applicable for use, regardless of cognitive function, and has positive long-term effects on balance, gait ability, and lower-limb strength. An intake of a protein-enriched energy supplement immediately after the exercise does not appear to increase the effect of the training. Participants who improve their balance function due to the exercise programme may reduce their risk of falling.

Among elderly people, falls lead to a considerable amount of immobility, morbidity, and mortality. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate methods for predicting falls, and to evaluate a fall prevention program among elderly people living in residential care facilities. A fall was defined as any event in which the resident unintentionally came to rest on the floor or the ground regardless of whether or not an injury was sustained. In developing the prediction methods, it was hypothesised that older persons showing difficulties in performing a familiar second task while walking were more likely to fall within six months. For residents who stopped walking when talking, the relative risk of falling was 3.5 (95% CL2.0-6.2) compared to those who continued walking. For residents with a time difference (diffTUG) of at least 4.5 seconds between two performances of the Timed Up&amp;Go test, with and without carrying a glass, the hazard ratio for falls was 4.7 (95% Cl: 1.5-14.2) compared to those with a shorter diffTUG. A screening tool, the Mobility Interaction Fall (MIF) chart, was developed and evaluated, then validated in a new sample. This tool included a mobility rating, ‘Stops walking when talking’, ‘diffTUG’, a test of vision, and a concentration rating. In the first sample, the hazard ratio was 12.1 (95% 0:4.6-31.8) for residents classified as ‘high-risk’ compared to ‘low-risk’. The positive predictive value was 78%, and the negative predictive value, the sensitivity, and the specificity were above 80% for falling in six months. In the second sample the prediction accuracy of the MIF chart was lower (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% Cl: 1.1-2.5) and a 6-month fall history or a global rating of fall risk by staff were at least equally valuable. A combination of any two of the methods - the MIF chart, staff judgement, fall history - was more accurate at identifying high risk residents than any method alone. Half of the residents classified by two methods as ‘high risk’ sustained a fall within 6 months. In a randomised study a prevention program directed to residents, staff, and environment resulted in a significant reduction in the number of residents falling (44% vs. 56%; odds ratio 0.62, 95% CF0.41-0.92), the incidence of falls (incidence rate ratio IRR 0.80, 95% CF0.69-0.94) and of femoral fractures (IRR 0.25, 95% 0:0.08-0.82) in the intervention compared to the control group. In conclusion, a combination of any two of the staff judgement, fall history or MIF chart has the potential to identify a large proportion of residents at particular high fall risk. A multidisciplinary and multifactorial fall prevention program directed to residents, staff, and the environment can reduce the numbnumber of residents falling, of falls and of femoral fractures. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 2000,, härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

This project explored the values considered by elderly people, their younger relatives, and health professionals in decisions about residential long - term care, aiming to contribute to the literature on prospectively held values. The mixed methods design utilised a medical record review of 60 frail elderly hospital patients, a stratified survey of 3,015 adults in the South Australian community, and interviews with 36 stakeholders ( 10 elderly people, 10 younger relatives, and 18 health professionals ). The medical record review confirmed that the hospital patients and their outcomes resembled those described internationally. It was used to develop a hypothetical vignette, used in the later studies. Survey responses suggested that when considering a hypothetical long - term care decision, community members put the elderly person ' s physical health and safety first. Situational variables ( the elderly person ' s autonomy, environmental adaptation, and caregiver burden ) appeared secondary, albeit less so with increasing age of the respondent. Thematic analysis of the interviews demonstrated that elderly stakeholders considering a hypothetical decision were more likely to mention autonomy values, and less likely to mention safety values, than were relatives or health professionals. However, elderly stakeholders were also more likely to suggest restrictive solutions, such as residential placement and proxy decision - making. This finding raised methodological issues concerning ' third person ' vignettes, in that respondents might be responding as proxy decision - makers, rather than as if the hypothetical decision applied to themselves. The project confirmed that, in this context, prospectively held values resembled the retrospectively described values identified by McCullough, Wilson, Teasdale, Kolpakchi and Shelly ( 1993 ). Hence, the retrospective literature could be applied. The project supported the importance and complexity of psychosocial predisposing factors when applying the Andersen Behavioral Model ( Andersen, 1995 ) to long - term care decisions. Additionally, the Ecological Theory of Aging ( Nahemow, 2000 ) and the MacArthur Model of Successful Aging ( Andrews, Clark, & Luszcz, 2002 ) were found to be relevant to long - term care decisions for individuals and populations. It was concluded that both clinically, and at a policy level, discussions of long - term care could be more effective if they focussed on maintenance of elderly people ' s autonomy and control, rather than on their physical health and safety. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2006.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Univ., 2003. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2004. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.