Educational actions for caregivers: an urgent strategy for preventing accidents in the homes of the elderly

Abstract

Population aging constitutes one of the most significant demographic phenomena of the 21st century, with profound implications for health systems and families. In Cuba, more than 25 % of the population is over 60 years of age, and this figure is projected to reach 36.4 % in 2050. Accidents at home, particularly falls, represent one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in this age group, and most are preventable by modifying environmental factors and strengthening the skills of caregivers. However, informal caregivers—usually family members without specialized training—present significant deficits in knowledge about accident prevention, which shows a gap between the need for safe care and the actual preparation of those who provide it. The objective of this article is to argue the need to implement systematic, participatory and theoretically based educational actions aimed at caregivers of older adults, as a central strategy of community nursing for the prevention of accidents at home. It is argued that these interventions, based on models such as Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, Pender's Health Promotion Model and Freire's dialogic approach, constitute a scientifically based and ethically imperative strategy.