Effects of palliative care interventions for people with dementia on the health of caregivers and possibilities of implementing these services

Abstract

Introduction: Given the diverse etiology and pathophysiology of dementia and its significant incidence, especially among older people, research is needed to characterize the care profile established for this public, their families and caregivers. Among the coping strategies that aim to provide better quality of life and cost reduction to the care center for patients with dementia, there are the successful implementations of palliative care. Based on a systematic review and description of advanced integration services in palliative care for people with dementia, the present study aims to study and develop new possibilities for implementing these services in Brazil, based on the literature and services of this line of care found in Portugal, expanding the offer of such a line for these patients, as well as seeking to provide strategies for better public health coping with the syndrome. Objectives: To verify whether interventions linked to palliative care have positive effects on the health of caregivers of people with dementia through a systematic review; and to describe the functioning of palliative care services for people with dementia in Portugal. Methodology: This is a systematic review of studies that compose interventions on the subject of palliative care for people diagnosed with dementia and outcomes focused on family and care issues. For the review, an electronic search will be carried out to be registered at PROSPERO in the Pubmed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science Direct and Lilacs databases, as well as in the reference list of included articles. The START software version 2.3.4.2 will be used; In addition to the review, a quantitative analysis will be made of two palliative care services in Portugal and possible implementations in Brazil. The procedure includes collection of sensitive personal data, as independent variables, to be used to compose the profile of users of palliative care services in these institutions in Portugal. Characteristics of users, functioning, quality of service, public served, flow of procedures, team and referral will be necessary to describe the palliative care service applied in each institution. Expected Results: It is expected to find homogeneity in the studies present in the literature on interventions in palliative care, with positive effects on the health of family members and caregivers; To analyze two palliative care services offered to people with dementia in different centers in Portugal and to find possibilities for implementing these models in Brazilian cities that offer palliative care services for older people with dementia. (AU)