SOPORTE SOCIAL EN EL CUIDADOR PRIMARIO DE UNA PERSONA CON ALZHEIMER
Abstract
El propósito del presente estudio, es describir el tipo de soporte social que recibe el cuidador primario de una persona que ha sido diagnosticada con la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Para ello, se realizó un estudio de caso con un participante que se caracteriza por ser cuidador primario. El participante tiene 21 años de edad y cumple con ésta función hace aproximadamente dos años, encargándose así del cuidado integral y permanente de la paciente, quién tiene 84 años de edad, es abuela del participante sin lazo consanguíneo, hace cinco años sufrió dos infartos cerebrales y posteriormente fue diagnosticada con la enfermedad de Alzheimer. Se recopilaron los datos de interés en tres sesiones de entrevistas semiestructuradas, posteriormente se organizó y clasificó la información en categorías que dieron lugar al análisis cualitativo. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el soporte social actúa como variable moduladora que promueve el bienestar del participante, amortiguando la presencia y magnitud de los estresores primarios y secundarios. Además, el participante cuenta con dos fuentes de soporte social, respondiendo a la perspectiva cuantitativa-estructural y cualitativa-funcional. Respecto a las cuatro funciones del soporte social se hallan presentes la función valorativa e instrumental, mientras que la emocional y la informacional están ausentes.
The main purpose of the following study was to describe the social support that was given to an Alzheimer patient's primary caregiver. This case study was done with a participant who is a primary caregiver of an Alzheimer's patient. He is 21 years old and he has been a primary caregiver for about two years, taking integral and permanent care of the patient who is 84 years old. His patient is an elderly woman to whom he is very close, but not related to by blood. Five years ago, she suffered from two cerebral strokes, after that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Interesting data was collected during three special structured interviews; afterward the information was organized and classified into categories that gave a qualitative analysis. The obtained results explain that social support that acts like a modulating variable promotes the participant's well being, reducing the magnitude and presence of primary and secondary stressors. Furthermore, the participant counts with two sources of social support, responding to both the quantitative-structural perspective and the qualitative-functional perspective. With respect to the four social support functions, we can find the valorative and instrumental function; however, the emotional and informative functions are absent.
The main purpose of the following study was to describe the social support that was given to an Alzheimer patient's primary caregiver. This case study was done with a participant who is a primary caregiver of an Alzheimer's patient. He is 21 years old and he has been a primary caregiver for about two years, taking integral and permanent care of the patient who is 84 years old. His patient is an elderly woman to whom he is very close, but not related to by blood. Five years ago, she suffered from two cerebral strokes, after that she has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Interesting data was collected during three special structured interviews; afterward the information was organized and classified into categories that gave a qualitative analysis. The obtained results explain that social support that acts like a modulating variable promotes the participant's well being, reducing the magnitude and presence of primary and secondary stressors. Furthermore, the participant counts with two sources of social support, responding to both the quantitative-structural perspective and the qualitative-functional perspective. With respect to the four social support functions, we can find the valorative and instrumental function; however, the emotional and informative functions are absent.
Description
Vol. 12, No. 1
Keywords
Soporte social, cuidador primario, enfermedad de Alzheimer, estresores primarios y secundarios, fuentes de soporte social, funciones del soporte social, Social support, Primary Caregiver, Alzheimer's disease, primary and secondary stressors, sources of social support, functions of social support, Suporte social, cuidador primário, doença de Alzheimer, estressores primários e secundários, fontes de suporte social, funções do suporte social