Interventions to Foster Resilience in Family Caregivers of People with Alzheimer's Disease: A Scoping Review.

The family caregiver of a person with Alzheimer's disease still experiences, in most cases, negative consequences in their biopsychosocial environment, which are related to the acquisition of this role. However, it has been observed that this fact is not universal in this type of population since benefits can be obtained in the act of caring through the development of resilience. Given this possibility and given that nurses are the health professionals who support people in this illness process, there is an urgent need to identify which non-pharmacological interventions could improve or promote resilience in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, our overall objective was to determine which interventions are useful in promoting resilience in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease through a scoping review. The data were analysed using an adapted version of Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework, after critically reading the articles with the CasP and MMAT tools. Nine articles were included (five analytical experimental, two quantitative and two mixed). Three types of interventions related to promoting resilience in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease were identified: meditation, multicomponent psychoeducation and creative art; nurses participated as co-therapists in the last two.

Impact of the Relationship of Stress and the Immune System in the Appearance of Alzheimer's Disease.

The understanding of how the immune system works, as well as its relationship with the stress level, seems to be important at the start of the Alzheimer's disease (AD). To analyze this, immunoglobulin A (IgA) and cortisol in saliva were measured using ELISA in patients with mild AD and healthy volunteers, and the production of both biomarkers was compared and correlated. In participants without AD, IgA was higher when cortisol was lower, and the opposite happened in participants with AD, with the quantification in saliva being a suitable method to determine it.

[Saphenectomy in ambulatory surgery. Patients' expectations]. / Safenectomía en cirugía ambulatoria. Expectativas de los pacientes.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the expectations and the experiences which patients who undergo saphenactomy in outpatient surgery (CMA) have regarding their recuperation and to ascertain if their knowledge about this process corresponds with reality. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive-comparative survey with one part being quantitative and the other qualitative. A consecutive sample by 25 patients who completed 8 questionnaires. Data obtained was analyzed with the Chi-squared test and content analysis procedures. RESULTS: The majority of these patients received health education, 100% had postoperative symptoms but their recuperation was good along general lines. Their expectations were precise since there were no significant differences between the recuperation they expected and that which they underwent. Previous experiences in CMA had a very significant influence in the perceptions patients held, (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Saphenactomy in outpatient wards obtained satisfactory results although there are aspects which need be researched in greater detail, mainly those related to Health Education.