Alzheimer's disease and the challenges of nursing care towards elderly people and their family caregivers

Objective: This study meant to analyze the main challenges and the care provided by nursing teams during the process of caring for elderly people bearing Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers. Methods: It is an integrative literature review that was performed through article searching in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and the Literatura Latino-americana e do Caribe em Ciencias da Saude (LILACS) [Latin-American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences]. There were obtained 783 studies, of which only 13 met the inclusion criteria. Results: Care strategies associated to Alzheimer-related forms of behavior were proposed, namely, forgetfulness, denial of bathing, and the acceptance of the disease by the family. The lack of training and knowledge by sonic nursing professionals was evidenced as a challenging element vis-a-vis the relationship with elderly, people and their family caregivers, Conclusion: It is important that public policies pursue to guarantee caring practices for elderly people bearing Alzheimer's disease, approaching the real needs experienced by such population, as well as family caregivers and health professionals.