Tecnologia Educativa para capacitação de familiares cuidadores de adultos mais velhos dependentes

Abstract

Background and Aim: Caring for dependent older adults at home is an increasingly frequent reality in today's ageing society, resulting in the need to provide careers with the skills and knowledge which were not traditionally part of the family realm. This research aims to analyze the effectiveness of an Educational Technology in the training process of careers of dependent older adults at home. Method: Participants were 12 family caregivers who accompanied older adults admitted to a reference hospital in trauma, located in Fortaleza-Ceara-Brazil, a month after returning home. Eight family caregivers reported previous experience caring for older adults at home, and four revealed to have a superficial knowledge of the matter. This was a qualitative study based on action research through the creation, application and assessment of an educational program. The Educational Technology built for this purpose was based on the Theory of Basic Human Needs and the assumptions of health education. Results: Knowledge acquisition mediated by the application of Educational Technology led to changes in providing basic human needs of older adults' in-home care, namely the understanding of the ageing process, adaptation of the physical environment, nutritional adequacy, tolerance, autonomy and family involvement. Conclusions: The use of Educational Technology had an impact on the praxis of the family caregiver through the supply of the basic human needs of the older person being cared for. This tool emerges as a useful complement to strengthen the abilities of the informal caregiver of the dependent older adult.