Threats to Health and Well-being Perceived by Older people in Poland and Portugal

Introduction: According to the OECD, Portugal and Poland rank below average in several well-being measures such as income and wealth, and health status. Investigating how people perceive the threats to health in these two countries, is an important issue to address priority needs. To meet this need, the objective of this paper was to compare the perceptions of the threats to the health and well-being among the Polish and Portuguese older persons and explore differences between the countries in respect of patterns of self-rated health. Material and Methods: A Cross-sectional study with two convenience samples from primary health care services of Poland and Portugal was conducted; 480 adults aged 65 and over (247 Portuguese) were included. The EASYCare standard assessment of 2010 was applied under a joint project of both countries. The association between ‘self-rated unhealthy’ and socio-demographic and threats to health variables was examined using logistic regression. Results: In both countries about two thirds of the older persons self-rated their health as unhealthy. Having more than enough finances was associated with a significant lower odds of being unhealthy compared with those without enough finances at the end of the month (Portugal: OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.63; Poland: OR = 0.33, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.88). Visual problems, bodily pain, memory loss, feeling bored or lonely and reporting shortness of breath during normal activities was consistently associated with fair or poor self-rated health. Discussion: These findings provide important information regarding the health profile of older people which can help in the development of people-centred health systems where their lives and well-being can be improved. Conclusion: The unhealthy perception of older people was consistently associated with indicators of major health threats

Sens of burden of the families taking care of patient with Alzheimer’s disease

Wstęp. Chorzy z demencją w przebiegu choroby Alzheimera wymagają stałej, niejednokrotnie całodobowej opieki. Jak wykazują badania, 92% osób dotkniętych chorobą Alzheimera przebywa w domu w trakcie trwania choroby, w związku z czym ciężar opieki spoczywa na rodzinie. Cel pracy. Celem pracy jest ukazanie czynników wpływających na poczucie obciążenia opiekuna osoby chorej na chorobę Alzheimera oraz form pomocy niesionej przez pielęgniarkę rodzinną. Materiał i metody. Badanie przeprowadzono wśród 100 opiekunów osób z chorobą Alzheimera. Narzędziem badawczym był Kwestionariusz Poczucia Obciążenia wraz z kwestionariuszem ankiety. Wyniki. Wykazano zależność między wiekiem, płcią, statusem zawodowym, stanem zdrowia oraz stopniem pokrewieństwa opiekuna a wysokim poczuciem obciążenia opieką nad chorym z chorobą Alzheimera. Istnienie wsparcia niesionego opiekunowi wpływa na niższe poczucie obciążenia opieką. Potrzebę stworzenia domu pobytu czasowego dla chorych wykazano w grupie osób z wysokim poczuciem obciążenia. Wnioski. Badania wykazały znaczne obciążenie opiekuna i rodziny osoby z chorobą Alzheimera. W pracy pielęgniarki sprawującej opiekę nad rodziną istotne jest określenie obszarów, w których występują deficyty w celu prawidłowego ukierunkowania niesionego wsparcia zarówno instytucjonalnego, jak i emocjonalnego.Introduction. Patients with dementia in Alzheimer’s disease often require regular night care. Research shows 92% of people with Alzheimer’s disease living at home during the course of the disease and therefore the burden of care rests with the family. Aim of the study. Aim of the study is to show the factors affecting the sense of caregiver burden a person suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and forms of aid carried by a family nurse. Material and methods. The study was performed among 100 caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Research tool was a questionnaire with a Sense of Burden Questionnaire. Results. The dependence between age, gender, occupational status, health status and the degree of kinship caregiver burden and a high sense of care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Existence of carer support being carried affects the lower sense of burden on care. The need for a temporary stay home for the sick has been demonstrated in patients with a high sense of burden. Conclusions. Studies have shown a significant burden guardian and family of the person with Alzheimer’s disease. The study nurse who has the care of the family is important to identify areas where there are deficits in the correct direction being carried both institutional support and emotional