Atención Primaria y personas mayores en las residencias: propuestas de mejora tras la experiencia durante la pandemia / Primary Care and the elderly in nursing homes: proposals for improvement after the experience during the pandemic

Con este artículo hemos querido acercarnos a la visión que desde la Atención Primaria (AP) tenemos sobre lo que ha supuesto la pandemia de la COVID-19 en la población mayor y particularmente en las personas ancianas que viven en residencias. La situación previa de los centros residenciales ha influido durante la pandemia en un elevado número de fallecimientos, aislamiento social y problemas de salud derivados. Las personas de estos centros son generalmente más vulnerables, frágiles, dependientes y longevas, pero estos condicionantes no justifican el nivel de contagios y mortalidad por sí mismos. En los momentos de mayor dureza de la crisis sanitaria, se activaron una serie de respuestas sociales y sanitarias variadas y diversas en cada comunidad autónoma. Algunas de estas tuvieron carácter urgente y terminaron por originar diferentes estrategias y/o nuevos modelos de atención y gestión de las residencias. En algunos casos, estos cambios se siguen manteniendo. El objetivo de este artículo es analizar algunas de las principales medidas que se llevaron a cabo, los cambios que se implementaron, los puntos en común, el consenso en la toma de decisiones, la evidencia sobre la que se basaron, los aspectos éticos y legales que inspiraron estas estrategias y los resultados en salud obtenidos. Atendiendo a lo comentado, el grupo hace una serie de propuestas de mejora de cara al futuro.(AU)

This article aims to get closer to the vision from the perspective of primary care about what the COVID 19 pandemic has entailed in the elderly population and especially in those who live in nursing homes. During the pandemic, the previous situation of residential centres has led to a high number of deaths, social isolation and derived health problems. People in these centres are in general more vulnerable, frail, dependent and long-lived. However, these conditions do not in themselves justify the level of infections and mortality. In the most difficult moments of the health crisis, a series of varied and diverse social and health responses were activated according to the different Autonomous Communities. Some were urgent in nature and ended up giving rise to different strategies and/or new care and management models for nursing homes. In some cases, these changes are still maintained. The aim of the article is to analyze some of the main measures that were performed; the changes implemented, the points in common, the consensus in decision-making, the evidence on which they were based, the ethics and legal aspects that inspired these strategies and the health outcomes obtained. In response to what has been said, the group makes a series of proposals for improvement in the future.(AU)

El envejecimiento activo como oportunidad para la participación comunitaria y la colaboración intersectorial / No disponible

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La semfyc quiere potenciar la investigación en el área del envejecimiento / Semfyc wants to potentiate research in the aging area

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Prevención de la dependencia en las personas mayores / Preventing dependency in the elderly

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[Preventing dependency in the elderly.]. / Prevención de la dependencia en las personas mayores.

INTRODUCTION: dependency, i.e. the need to depend on another person to perform activities of daily living, is the main concern and cause of suffering and poor quality of life in the elderly. The prevalence of dependency increases with age and is related to the presence of prior disease and fragility. Dependency is associated with increased morbidity, mortality and institutionalization, as well as with greater health and social resource utilization, all of which increases health costs. OBJECTIVE: to create a consensus document on the main health recommendations for the prevention of dependency in the elderly, based on the scientific evidence available to date, with the collaboration of scientific societies and public health administrations (the Spanish Ministry of Health, Autonomous Communities and Cities). METHODS: a) a preliminary consensus document was drafted by an expert group composed of representatives of various scientific societies and health administrations. This document was based on a review of the recommendations and guidelines published by the main organizations involved in health promotion and the prevention of disease, functional deterioration and dependency in the elderly; b) the consensus document was reviewed by the remaining experts assigned by the scientific societies and central and autonomous administrations; c) the final document was approved after a session in which the text was discussed and reviewed by all the experts participating in the working group (including the academic committee); d) the document was presented and discussed in the First National Conference on Prevention and Health Promotion in Clinical Practice in Spain. All participating experts signed a conflicts of interest statement. RESULTS: the document provides recommendations, with their grades of evidence, grouped in the following three categories: a) health promotion and disease prevention, with specific preventive activities for the elderly, including prevention of geriatric syndromes; b) prevention of functional deterioration, with clinical recommendations that can be applied in primary and specialized care; c) prevention of iatrogeny (drug prescription, inappropriate use of diagnostic and therapeutic modalities and healthcare). These recommendations were tailored to the characteristics of the older person (OP), categorized in five groups: healthy OP, OP with chronic disease, fragile or at risk OP, dependent OP, and OP at the end of life. CONCLUSION: these recommendations should be implemented by public health administrations to improve strategies for the prevention of dependency in the elderly in the XXI century.