Contributions of Nursing in the Care of Patients with Parkinson's and their Caregivers: an integrative review

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects millions of people worldwide, characterized by both motor and non-motor symptoms. In this context, in addition to impacting the quality of life of patients, the disease also imposes a considerable burden on caregivers, who are usually family members or healthcare professionals, taking on a range of responsibilities such as assisting with daily activities and providing emotional support, often facing physical and emotional overload. Given this reality, the role of nursing in supporting these caregivers is essential to ensure the well-being of patients as well as the health and quality of life of the caregivers themselves. Based on this, the problem addressed in this study is to investigate how nursing interventions can positively impact the lives of caregivers of Parkinson’s disease patients, improving the quality of care provided and the caregivers' health. To achieve this, the study aims to analyze the main nursing interventions directed at supporting caregivers, identifying practices that promote the health and well-being of these individuals. For this purpose, the methodology adopted in this study is an integrative review, where the search for relevant studies was conducted in the PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, LILACS, and Web of Science databases, using keywords such as "nursing," "caregiver," "Parkinson’s disease," "nursing interventions," and "quality of life." Inclusion criteria were studies published in the last five years, in Portuguese, English, or Spanish, that addressed nursing interventions directed at supporting caregivers of Parkinson’s disease patients. The results indicate that nursing interventions, such as continuous education, emotional support, and encouragement of self-care, have a positive impact on the quality of life of caregivers. These interventions contribute to reducing the emotional and physical burden on caregivers, ensuring better care for patients and promoting the caregivers' health.