ABSTRACT
Objective
to analyze, over time, the constitution of the older adults' family arrangements and their relationship with social support, frailty, quality of life and cognition; in addition to verifying existing tensions in the family context from the perspective of these subjects.
Method
a longitudinal study, using mixed methods and concomitant triangulation. A sociodemographic interview, the Edmonton Frailty Scale, WHOQOL-BREF and OLD, The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Genogram and Ecomap were applied. The quantitative data used the Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney comparison test; and those with a qualitative approach were treated according to Bardin's content analysis, with dialectical materialism as a theoretical framework.
Results
most of the 84 aged people in the study period (2012/2016-2019) were over 70 years old and female (83.3%). Frailty and cognition did not present a statistically significant relationship with the type of family arrangement. Aged people who lived alone had a worse quality of life in the physical (p=0.044) and psychological (p=0.031) domains. Older adults who lived with grandchildren showed worsening in the social relationship domain (p=0.047) and improvement in the death and dying domain (p<0.001). Three categories and nine subcategories were found, which highlighted the importance of interdependent and supportive relationships in the family. Data integration showed that the family size arrangement and the types of its members do not determine the existence of support, but the bonds formed with family and community.
Conclusion
frailty and cognition presented no statistical difference with the type of family arrangement, although this relationship was found in some quality of life domains.
DESCRIPTORS
Family relations; Frailty; Social support; Quality of life; Cognition; Geriatric nursing