Abstract

ALMEIDA, Maria Flora V. de A. e et al. The experience of disease for not elderly patients attended by a home care service and their caregivers. Psicol. hosp. (São Paulo) [online]. 2007, vol.5, n.1, pp.2-22. ISSN 2175-3547.

It’s about a research that aims check how not elderly patients (below sixty years), being served by a home care service and their caregivers experience the disease and the treatment, noticing that there is no much studies about not elderly population. It was investigated points like changes that happen because of the disease, emotive changes, the meaning of take care and being took care, the existence of life projects and the influence of home care in their lives. It was aplicated a half-directed interview with open questions to seven patients and to thirteen caregivers; the answers were evaluated in their frequency of the quantities and their qualities. The conclusion was that besides living is individual, the disease brings limitations to the patient and to the caregivers´ lives, bringing besides other consequences, the limitations to the social’s life and the difficulty at the professional life; the changes in the way of life bring more sadness to the patients and more worries to the caregivers, so the home care service is noticed like a tool to face the disease.

Keywords : Not elderly patients; Caregivers; Home care assistance; Chronic disease.

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