[Evaluation of the situation of the elderly who live alone in a health zone]. / Valoración de las necesidades de los ancianos que viven solos en una zona básica de salud.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the needs of elderly individuals living alone and with some degree of dependency for activities of daily live. METHOD: We performed a cross-sectional descriptive study in an urban health center (San Andrés-Torcal in Málaga, Spain). Persons aged more than 65 years old who lived alone and had some degree of dependency were studied. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 64 elderly individuals, 58 women and 6 men. The mean age was 83.3 years (SD 4.13). Sixteen people (25%) were independent for daily living when aided by others, while 48 (75%) had one or more needs that were not covered. The most frequent nursing diagnoses were: impaired physical mobility in 58, risk of falls in 54, diversional activity deficit in 48, impaired urinary elimination in 38, and social isolation or deterioration in social interaction in 36. Fifty-six individuals had family. Half had no contact with neighbors, 12 (18.8%), did not receive visits, and 26 (40.6%) had nobody to whom they could tell their problems. Architectonic barriers to the house were identified in 48 individuals and access barriers to the home were found in 29. The total sample received a pension of between 301 and 600 euros. CONCLUSIONS: The persons evaluated showed numerous areas of dependency and there was a high proportion whose basic needs were not suitably covered. Because of the multiple and distinct problems identified, we believe that active screening should be performed in this vulnerable population. In addition, special attention should be paid to these individuals and the required help should be offered so that they have information and access to the available health and social resources.

Aportación para el diagnóstico de cansancio en el desempeño del rol de cuidador / Contribution to the diagnosis of caregiver role strain

Objetivos. Determinar la concordancia entre la valoración que el cuidador hace sobre encontrar o no dificultad para desempeñar el papel de cuidador y la valoración de la enfermera. Medir el grado de cansancio de una manera cuantitativa y establecer el punto de corte que magnifique los valores predictivos de esta medida con los medios diagnósticos anteriores. Determinar la asociación entre las características definitorias y los factores relacionados de la North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) con la presencia de cansancio. Método. Estudio analítico transversal sobre los cuidadores de personas discapacitadas de una zona básica de salud. Muestra aleatoria simple de 49 sujetos. El grado cuantitativo de cansancio se midió con el cuestionario de Zarit; la concordancia con el índice kappa y la asociación con el test de Spearman. Resultados. La concordancia entre la valoración es de 0,54. El cuestionario de Zarit presenta un punto de interés: 43/44. Encontramos asociación entre el diagnóstico y 4 características definitorias y 5 factores relacionados. Conclusiones. La concordancia entre la valoración de la cuidadora y de la enfermera es moderada. Las cuidadoras con más de 43 puntos en la escala de Zarit estarían cansadas con una alta probabilidad. Para minimizar la incertidumbre diagnóstica es importante la valoración de las características definitorias y los factores relacionados que presentan asociación positiva con el diagnóstico

We analyze difficulties in making a diagnosis of caregiver role strain and aim to suggest improvements in nursing interventions. Aims. To determine the concordance between evaluations made by caregivers and nurses on role strain. To quantitatively measure subjective burden and establish a cut-off point to increase predictive values. To determine the associations among defining characteristics and factors related to caregiver role strain. Method. We performed an analytical, cross-sectional study of the care providers of persons with loss of mobility in a basic health area. Forty-nine subjects were selected by simple random sampling. Quantitative measurement of the degree of strain was measured using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). The concordance between determinations was measured using the kappa statistic and associations were measured using Spearman's test. Results. The concordance between caregivers' and nurses' evaluations was 0.54. The ZBI presented a cut-off point of 43/44. Associations were found among the diagnosis and four defining characteristics and five strain-related factors. Conclusions. Moderate concordance was found between caregivers' and nurses' evaluations. Caregivers with a score of more than 43 points on the ZBI had a high probability of experiencing strain. To minimize diagnostic uncertainty, defining characteristics and strain-related factors should be evaluated