Dina Isabel Francisco Alberto Santos Dissertação de Mestrado em ...

ABSTRACT
Caring is a common activity in all cultures, although there are many different
ways of providing people what they need for their health. It is a role that belongs
to the family since it is usually the main responsible for the act of caring.
Taking care for somebody requires a continuous cognitive, emotional and
physical effort that is not always appreciated nor appropriately rewarded by
society.
Taking care for somebody who cares is also a great responsibility and should
be a matter of worrying for all of us, citizens, as well as for politicians.
The family members who care for a relative are a new challenge to our society.
This investigation was based on a particular issue: analysing how the
experience of taking care for a relative may influence the caregiver’s life. These
carers are part of the “Cuidados Continuados do Centro de Saúde da Lourinhã”,
(a continuous caring program, carried out in Lourinhã).
We had different purposes when we undertook this study: identifying the
experiences related to the individuals who take care for a dependent elder
relative; understanding how taking care for a relative may influence the
caregiver’s life; and helping to prepare supporting programmes addressed to
the caregivers that are related to Lourinhã’s cottage hospital.
The study was done in Lourinhã, a region that is part of an area called
Estremadura, in the west of Portugal. The sample of our study consists of thirty
people, who care for a dependent elder relative, and that are part of the
“Programa de Cuidados Continuados do Centro de Saúde da Lourinhã”.
The method chosen is part of a triangle based on quantitative and qualitative
models. The tools used in order to collect the necessary data were the
interview and the Scale of Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview. When analysing
the data, we used the descriptive statistics and the analyses of content.
The interviews were undertaken at the caregiver’s home, during April and May
2007. The carers are predominantly women, since they are still the ones who
hold the responsibility for taking care for elder relatives most of the times.
Although men are beginning to get involved in this process, they are part of a
smaller group.
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