The Role of Nurses in Home Care in Alzheimer's Patients

Abstract

It is aimed to reduce the negative effects of the disease and resulting problems with the most accurate medical and nursing approaches by ensuring that the patient is affected at least without changing the living conditions of the home care services, to increase the quality of life of patient as much as possible and to provide a comfortable death. Nursing services play an important role in establishing the connection between home and hospital within the scope of home care of Alzheimer's disease. Nurses can assist at home care by providing patient education family members in line with the needs of the patient, providing family participation in care, counseling and cooperation between the family and the hospital. As a result of these services, the quality of life the patient is increased and care burden of the caregivers is reduced. In this study, it was aimed to address the roles of nurses in Alzheimer's patients in the home care service in the home care of Alzheimer patients between the years 2009-2019. In this article, the studies were reviewed and an evaluation was made in the context of the roles/responsibilities of Alzheimer's patients and nurses.

Formal caregivers' competence of Alzheimer patients in long-term care institutions

“…Nurses, whose primary role is caring and having a key position among health workers, are expected to be sensitive to and support the caregiver's burden and difficulties. It is stated that this can improve the quality of life of both Alzheimer's patient and caregiver and other family members by increasing the caregiver's ability to adapt to changing conditions [8]. Moreover, caring for an Alzheimer's patient is a very tiring, demanding and long process.…”

Family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease during the COVID‐19 journey

“…Alzheimer's disease has three stages: mild, moderate, and severe, and the individual's quality of life is negatively affected at each stage. In the severe stage of the disease, the patients’ daily life restrictions increase, and they need someone else's help to meet their needs (Toru, 2019; Yılmaz & Turan, 2007). The care of sick individuals is seen as a domestic responsibility in Turkey.…”

“…The care of sick individuals is seen as a domestic responsibility in Turkey. Constant changes experienced by patients due to the progressive nature of the disease affect the lives of family caregivers in terms of bio‐psychosocial factors and lead to difficulties in their own lives (Toru, 2019). The caregiver's mental health is negatively affected in the long term during the care giving process (Keleş & Özalevli, 2018; Yılmaz & Turan, 2007) and they often experience psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and deterioration in their physical health due to the high burden of care.…”

“…The caregiver's mental health is negatively affected in the long term during the care giving process (Keleş & Özalevli, 2018; Yılmaz & Turan, 2007) and they often experience psychological problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, social isolation, and deterioration in their physical health due to the high burden of care. Caregivers should be supported in the maintenance of their physical and psychological health and helped to decrease the level of care burden while they continue to provide care for their patients (Atagün, Devrim Balaban, Atagün, Elagöz, & Yılmaz Özpolat, 2011; Erkuran & ve Altay, 2020; Keleş & Özalevli, 2018; Toru, 2019; Yılmaz & Turan, 2007).…”