Background:

modifying unhealthy styles and achieving greater and better life quality in the elderly with Parkinson's disease includes making interventions at the family level based on diagnoses on their preparation to face this sensitive task.

Objective:

to determine the level of knowledge of families and their learning needs for the management of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods:

a descriptive, retrospective and longitudinal study was carried out in the doctor´s Office 2, “Luis Ángel Ortiz”, University Polyclinic in Manzanillo municipality, from January-to July 2017. Theoretical methods were used: analysis-synthesis and inductive-deductive; Empirical ones: the focal group technique and the questionnaire survey to caregivers; and mathematical-statistics for absolute and relative values.

Result:

the focal groups were of the opinion that caregivers have insufficient clinical knowledge about the disease, its risk factors, hygienic-dietary and rehabilitative treatment, and valued as so-so the attendance of patients with their caregivers to consultations; these essential constituents of learning needs were corroborated by the caregivers themselves in the questionnaire applied.

Conclusions:

the relevance of the elaboration of an educational program of family orientation was determined, with emphasis on health promotion, which contributes to improve the management of caregivers to Parkinson’s patients.

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