THE COMPLEXITY OF CARE FOR ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH DISEASE ALZHEIMER AND THE INTRODUCTION OF PALLIATIVE CARE A NARRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

The palliative approach is indicated for anyone diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness, regardless of age, diagnosis or prognosis. In advanced Alzheimer's disease, palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of the sick person and their family members, by preventing and relieving suffering in the scenario they are in. This study includes aspects of the disease's heterogeneity of Alzheimer's, about its dense daily management in the family context and how this type of specialized care is essential in coping with this pathology, especially, but not exclusively, in its advanced stage. Because it is an irreversible and incurable disease, it becomes very stressful for those involved in the daily care of this patient, who are usually the family members themselves. For this discussion, review articles were searched in the DATASUS, SciELO and Google Scholar databases. The study consisted of analyzing the way these elderly people live and the impact of their disease on the day-to-day of the affected person and their family members, addressing not only the traditional medicines used, but also the possibility of different management approaches and the perspective of a better quality of life linked to the expansion of palliative care in this context.