Abstract

VIANA, Lucian da Silva; DE AGUIAR, Maria Isis Freire; DE VASCONCELOS, Patrícia Freire  and  DE AQUINO, Dorlene Maria Cardoso. Physical appearance and repercussions on the quality of life and the autonomy of elderly people affected by leprosy. Enferm. glob. [online]. 2017, vol.16, n.46, pp.336-374.  Epub Apr 01, 2017. ISSN 1695-6141.  https://dx.doi.org/10.6018/eglobal.16.2.248681.

Leprosy, coupled with aging process, brings physical changes, which interfere in dependency and autonomy. The objective was to evaluate the physical aspect and the impact on the quality of life and the autonomy of elderly people affected by leprosy. This is a descriptive study of a quantitative approach, conducted with 60 elderly people in two rehabilitation centers in São Luís (MA). We used the Physical Domain of the WHOQOL-Bref and facets "Sensory Skills" and "Autonomy" of WHOQOL-OLD, from the World Health Organization. There were observed problems with pain/discomfort (31.6 percent), fatigue (21.6%) and sleep/rest (23.3 percent), acting in the inability for locomotion (23.3%), carrying out daily activities (16.6%), and work (33.3 percent), as well as related to the dependency on drugs/treatments (56.6%). The quality of life has changed by loss of sensory (33.3%), as well as the ability to perform activities (28.3%) and interact with people (23.3%). Regarding autonomy, most seniors felt free to make decisions (53.3%) and respected by taking them (55.0%), although stated that do not perform all who desire (38.3%). Thus, it was concluded that the disease, before the process of senescence and/or senility, might have contributed negatively about the physical aspects and quality of life of the elderly.

Keywords : Aged; Leprosy; Personal Autonomy.

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