Resumen

CASANOVA MORENO, María de la C; TRASANCOS DELGADO, Maricela; PRATS ALVAREZ, Olga María  y  DIAZ HERNANDEZ, Guadalupe. Characterization of physically weak old people suffering from type-2 diabetes mellitus and their caregivers. Gac Méd Espirit [online]. 2016, vol.18, n.1, pp. 22-32. ISSN 1608-8921.

Background: The aging population constitutes the most important demographic transformation in the current society, and the diabetes mellitus has become a problem of the public health in the biggest adult. Objective: To characterize the fragile old people with diagnostic of diabetes type 2 and their caretakers. Methodology: Descriptive traverse study was carried out in the clinic University Hermanos Cruz in the province of Pinar del Rio that included as universe all the bigger adults (1369) of the Popular Council Hermanos Cruz, where the sample was formed by 52 old men with diagnostic of diabetes type 2, classified previously as fragile according to the scale of functional evaluation, and to 52 caretakers. In the old men the variables were analyzed: age, sex, coexistence of two or more diseases in the same individual usually related , and classification according to global functional state; in the caretakers were analyzed: age, sex, occupational category and level of information. Results: In old people prevailed the group among 70-79 years (48,2%), prevailed the visual deficit (88,5 %), the arterial hypertension (86,5 %) as the more frequent comorbidity ; more than half of the patients were in the category number two of the geriatric scale of functional evaluation (55,8%). In the caretakers the biggest percentage is in ages among 40-59 years (40,4 %), with prevalence of the feminine sex (34,6 %), most are housewives (40,4 %) and the level of information about the old man's cares is not adapted (61,5 %). Conclusions: In spite of the advances in the Programs of Attention to the biggest Adult and diabetes mellitus, training necessities are evidenced in family caretakers to offer an appropriate attention and with more quality to their old men.

Palabras clave : Frail elderly; diabetes mellitus type 2; diagnosis; caregivers; education; quality of life.