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Educare

Educare

DICIEMBRE 2005 N° 9 Volumen 3

Self-care teaching program for the elderly

Section: TEACHING TO LEARN

Authors

1Adelaida Zabalegui Yarnoz, 2Esther Cabrera Torres, 3Gemma March Vila, 4Meritxel Ginestí Crusells, 5Pilar Gual García, 6Miguel Ángel Escobar Bravo

Position

1Doctora en Enfermería. Directora de Enfermería. Universidad Internacional de Cataluña.2Doctora, responsable del Área de Enfermería Comunitaria. Universidad Internacional de Cataluña.3Profesora EU Gimbernat (UAB).4Diplomada en Enfermería. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.5 Doctora en medicina y cirugía, especialista en psiquiatría, profesora adjunta de la Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud de la Universitat Internacional de Catalunya.6Diplomado en Enfermería. Doctor. Profesor colaborador en el Departamento de Enfermería de la Universidad de Lleida.

Contact address

Facultad Ciencias de la Salud. Universidad Internacional de Cataluña. C/ Josep Trueta, s/n. 08195 Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona.

Contact email: azabaleg@csc.unica.edu

Abstract

By 2050 Spain will be one of the countries with the highest elderly population index in the world. This population group presents a higher risk of nutritional and social deficit. The changes in lifestyle are evident, with a higher value set on the self-sufficiency and self-care of the elderly and their ability to look after themselves. As healthcare professionals, it is in our interest to determine the different resources available to older people to satisfy their nutritional and social needs. Because of this, the need arises to create educational programs with the aim of making the elderly self-sufficient and independent.
The PECA educational program aims at making the population aware of the importance of following a correct diet and on the importance of having a social interaction. The program was carried out using an active and participative pedagogy, taking preconceptions as the starting point and searching for significant learning. The program was taught at the Health Care Centre of Manso, Barcelona, and lasted three months. Participants were distributed into 3 groups. On the last day of the program, participants evaluated the program, obtaining positive results such the evaluation of the classes taught in class room (70% evaluated the classes with a score of 5, being 5 the top score) and the program contents (67% also gave the content a score of 5). The PECA self-care and self-sufficiency program for the elderly was well accepted due to its good design and the enthusiasm with which it was taught. This serves as reinforcement to the role that the nurse can play in the ageing process.

Keywords:

elderly subjects; educational programnursing

Versión en Español

Título:

Programa Educativo de Autocuidado del Anciano (PECA)