Perception of nursing professionals in the care of people with Alzheimer’s

Abstract

Nowadays, informal care for people with Alzheimer’s is especially relevant. Nurses have reported a variety of experiences in the support they provide to family caregivers in the community. Therefore, the objective is to describe the perception of nursing professionals regarding informal care for people with Alzheimer’s at the “Flores Betancourt” polyclinic. For this purpose, qualitative research with a phenomenological design was carried out in Artemisa Province, Cuba. The study universe was made up of four nursing graduates and five caregiver families. The methods used to obtain the information were participant observation and in-depth interviews. Through the different levels of coding (open, axial and selective), categories and subcategories emerged which describe the perception of nurses about informal care for people with Alzheimer’s. Data triangulation and researcher triangulation ensured the rigor and reliability of the study. Ethical aspects of the research were taken into account. Among the perceptions referred to, the lack of knowledge of family caregivers, problems coping with caregiving, and poor collaboration of secondary support networks prevailed.