Browsing by Person "Giacomin, Karla Cristina"

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Building the capacity of community health workers to support health and social care for dependent older people in Latin America: a pilot study in Fortaleza, Brazil
(BioMed Central, 2021-10-02) Neto, João Bastos Freire; de Moraes, Gerídice Lorna Andrade; de Souza Aredes, Janaína; Giacomin, Karla Cristina; de Melo, Luciane Ponte; Sempé, Lucas; Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter
Background Brazil is seeing rapid population ageing, which is leading to new demands on primary health care services. There is a need to develop and assess the effectiveness of new interventions to build the capacity of staff, including community health workers, to meet the needs of groups such as care-dependent older people and their care-givers. This study examines the feasibility of a small training intervention piloted in the Brazilian city of Fortaleza. Methods The study evaluated participants’ own assessments of key knowledge and skills related to the needs of care-dependent older people, both before and after the training intervention. It also assessed their capacity to implement a simple screening tool of geriatric risk factors. Results The participant self-assessments indicate significant improvements in their perceived knowledge and capacity in responding to the health needs of care-dependent older people. Additionally, participants were able to successfully conduct the home visits and screening for risk factors. Conclusions The study demonstrates the feasibility of developing interventions to enhance the capacity of community health workers to meet the needs of dependent older people in countries like Brazil. The evidence of effectiveness, though limited and subjective, provides justification for a larger, formally evaluated intervention. The experience of Fortaleza provides valuable lessons for other cities and countries in the region which are facing similar challenges.
Meeting the complex challenge of health and social care provision for rapidly-ageing populations: introducing the concept of “avoidable displacement from home”
(SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online, 2020-04-03) Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter; Billings, Jenny; de Souza Aredes, Janaína; Freire Neto, João Bastos; Camarano, Ana Amélia; Macedo Coelho Filho, João; Firmo, Josélia Oliveira Araújo; Kalache, Alexandre; Macinko, James; Sempé, Lucas; Giacomin, Karla Cristina
The increasing numbers of people at very old ages pose specific policy challenges for health and social care and highlight the need to rethink established models of service provision. The main objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of “avoidable displacement from home” (ADH). The study argues that ADH builds on and adds value to existing concepts, offering a holistic, person-centered framework for integrated health and social care provision for older people. It also demonstrates that this framework can be applied across different levels, ranging from macro policymaking to organizational and individual decision-making. The paper pays attention to the Brazilian context but argues that ADH is a universally applicable concept.