Deospitalization of elderly patients: challenges faced by the family in continuous care

Introduction: Elderly patients who are undergoing a hospital-home transition process in a situation of dependency and who require continued health care and family support, with a preventive, rehabilitative or palliative purpose, the family member / caregiver presents limitations in the continuity of care, reflecting directly in the integrated health actions, making treatment difficult and sometimes interrupted. Objective: To analyze the challenges faced by the family in the continuous care of elderly patients facing hospitalization and the possible impacts on quality of life. Method: This is a descriptive, exploratory study with a qualitative approach that will be conducted in September and October 2019, in a public hospital in the city of Vitória da Conquista-BA, with 10 participants, of both sexes, family caregivers or responsible for the elderly who perform care functions in care and who are already over eighteen (18) years old. The collection was performed through a recorded interview, guided by a semi-structured script. Data analysis will be through Bardin content analysis. Results: From the analysis of the reports, it was possible to detect the limitations that family caregivers found in the hospital discharge process with elderly patients, who need continuous health care, suggests the institution strategies to enable changes in quality. of life of the elderly, after hospital and home transition, in the improvement of self-care and insertion of family support, with a preventive, rehabilitative or palliative purpose in the health of the elderly. Conclusion: This study made it possible to understand that there are weaknesses in the process of dehospitalization in the institution, which involve socioeconomic, cultural and environmental issues of elderly patients and their family caregivers.