Palliative care in elderly people: a literature review

This study aims to analyze the peculiarities of palliative care in the elderly and the challenges faced by the nursing professional. A non-systematic literature review was carried out, with a qualitative approach. At the end of the study, it can be seen that palliative care is on the rise in the country, increasingly reaffirming the importance of a multidisciplinary team in this care, with the need for health and social support actions, in addition to the implementation of public policies directed at these individuals, with a view to promoting health and preventing diseases, as well as the possibility of minimizing overload and enhancing the quality of life of these individuals. It is also noteworthy that the elderly need active observation for the vulnerabilities brought about by advancing age, as well as cultural and social issues that must be considered for decision making in relation to palliative care

Work overload in elderly relatives in palliative care

Palliative care aims to reaffirm the importance of life, facing death as a natural process, with the family having an important role in this process. The present study aims to know what the national literature has presented, in the period from 2013 to 2019, on the theme of work overload and its dimensions in family care for elderly people in palliative care. This is a reflective study carried out with the support of ten articles and a dissertation selected from the descriptors "caregivers", "elderly" and "home care" in the online research bases Scientific Electronic Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Nursing Database, International Literature in Health Sciences and Medline. Needs and difficulties are common among family members' experiences. Caregiver work overload is a multidimensional phenomenon that involves changes both in the individual's physical and emotional state. The routine of a caregiver requires conditions of emotional, psychological and physical preparation, which often does not happen in all families. Thinking about the reflection on the Palliative Care proposal, it is essential to consider the family as a care unit, the context of family caregivers, it is surrounded by changes and challenges, both in terms of the overload difficulties in caring for the elderly, whether in the absence of socioeconomic conditions

Nursing diagnosis in older adults at risk for pressure injury*

Objetivo: Elaborar diagnósticos de enfermagem e plano de cuidados para indivíduos idosos com lesão por pressão com base nos fatores de risco, visando a prevenção de sua ocorrência nas pessoas idosas hospitalizadas. Método: Estudo exploratório, descritivo, transversal com abordagem quantitativa, realizado na Unidade de Clínica Médica de um Hospital Universitário, com 87 prontuários. Resultados: Entre as pessoas idosas que apresentaram algum risco para o desenvolvimento de lesão por pressão, verificou-se uma prevalência do sexo feminino, com mais de 80 anos de idade e classificados em risco moderado na Escala de Braden. Destacaram-se as intervenções de enfermagem que estimulam a mobilidade do paciente, controle da pressão, supervisão da pele, nutrição, incontinência e higiene. Conclusão: A enfermagem tem papel importante na manutenção da integridade da pele dos pacientes. Cabe salientar a utilização das escalas preditivas de lesão como dispositivo complementar à clínica, para auxiliar no diagnóstico de enfermagem com vistas às intervenções direcionadas aos fatores de risco.Objetivo: Desarrollar diagnósticos y planes de atención de enfermería para adultos mayores con lesiones por presión basados en factores de riesgo, con el objetivo de prevenir su ocurrencia en adultos mayores hospitalizados. Método: Estudio exploratorio, descriptivo, transversal y cuantitativo realizado en la Unidad de Clínica Médica de un Hospital Universitario con 87 historias clínicas. Resultados: Entre los adultos mayores con algún riesgo de desarrollar una lesión por presión, hubo una prevalencia del sexo femenino, mayor de 80 años y clasificado en riesgo moderado en la Escala de Braden. Destacaron las intervenciones de enfermería que favorecen la movilidad del paciente, el control de la presión, la supervisión cutánea, la nutrición, la incontinencia y la higiene. Conclusión: La enfermería tiene un papel importante en el mantenimiento de la integridad de la piel de los pacientes. Cabe destacar el uso de escalas predictivas de lesiones como complemento a la práctica clínica para ayudar en el diagnóstico de enfermería con miras a intervenciones dirigidas a factores de riesgo.Objective: To develop nursing diagnoses and care plans for older adults with pressure injuries based on risk factors, aiming at preventing their occurrence in hospitalized older adults. Method: Exploratory, descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative study conducted with 87 medical records at the Medical Clinic Unit of a University Hospital. Results: Among older adults at some risk for the development of pressure injury, there was a prevalence of the female sex, age over 80 years and moderate risk classification on the Braden Scale. Nursing interventions that encourage patient mobility, pressure control, skin supervision, nutrition, incontinence and hygiene stood out. Conclusion: Nursing has an important role in maintaining the integrity of patients’ skin. It is worth highlighting the use of injury predictive scales as a complement to clinical practice in order to assist in the nursing diagnosis with a view to interventions aimed at risk factors