Abstract

Objective

To verify the knowledge of the family caregiver before the patient with dementia, in addition to assessing the burden resulting from care.

Method

This is a qualitative research, developed at the outpatient clinic of a reference hospital in neurology in the city of Recife, PE, Brasil. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview, a sociodemographic questionnaire and the application of the Zarit Scale and discussed through the content analysis proposed by Bardin and according to the constructs of Paulo Freire’s problematization and autonomy. The participants signed the informed consent form attesting the consent for the research

Results

From the analysis of the interviews with 17 family caregivers, three thematic categories emerged: lack of knowledge about the disease, perception of the family caregiver regarding the patient’s needs and family burden. With the progression of the disease, the presence of the caregiver becomes essential, however most do not have the necessary support to assist their family members.

Conclusion

The study verified the unpreparedness and difficulty of the caregiver in managing his family members who have some dementia syndrome. Thus, it is necessary to continue more productions on this theme and its repercussions on the lives of family caregivers, in order to assist in health promotion strategies for this population.

Keywords
Dementia; Caregivers; Family; Health Education