Dementia is a constant concern for the public health system. Also, it impacts family members who provide informal care, often culminating in overload due to the emotional stress and physical distress of caregivers. Objective: This systematic review aimed to identify the consequences of Burnout Syndrome in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia. Methods: The search was performed spanning the last 10 years, in English, Portuguese or Spanish. The databases used were PubMed, SciELO, Web of Science and LILACS. The descriptors were obtained from MeSH and DeCS, which were, “caregivers”, “burnout”, “aged”, “psychological stress” and “dementia”. The selected articles included studies conducted with informal caregivers of community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with any type of dementia. The excluded articles had the following characteristics: the participants were not informal caregivers, the older adults were not diagnosed with dementia, or the main theme was not related to the Burnout Syndrome. Results: Initially, 1,208 articles were found. One hundred and forty-six were eliminated because they were duplicates. A further 1,033 were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Twenty-nine studies were selected for full reading and 22 were excluded, giving 7 studies for inclusion in this review. Conclusion: The results showed that the Burnout Syndrome negatively affected caregivers’ quality of life and was associated with patient depressive and anxious symptoms and abusive behavior by caregiver. There is a need for studies with interventions addressing this issue.

Objective: to evaluate musculoskeletal symptoms in formal and informal caregivers of elderly people, and check association with personal and work-related factors. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study. Instruments for assessment were the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20, Borg’s effort perception scale and Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. Results: informal caregivers had been working for a longer time (60.2% vs. 41%), had more hours of work (37.4% >12h for day), less time off (85.4% vs. 2.5%) and lack of care guidelines (90.2%). The region with the most musculoskeletal symptoms was the spine and the greater dependence of the elderly, the greater the chances of developing musculoskeletal symptoms (OR= 1.3, 95% CI= 1.1-1.6, p <0.05). Conclusion: personal and work-related factors were more prevalent in informal group and the elderly person’s dependence interferes with the increase in musculoskeletal symptoms of caregivers.

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Background Most people with dementia are living in low‐ and middle‐income countries and are being cared for at home by their families. This task can negatively affect the mental and physical health of carers. However, public health initiatives to support family carers are still scarce. This study aimed to translate and culturally adapt the iSupport programme from World Health Organization for use by carers of people with dementia in Brazil. Methods The translation of the programme from English to Brazilian Portuguese was conducted by a professional translator. The translated content was discussed and checked for relevance, clarity and accuracy by a multidisciplinary team of researchers in Brazil. Next, 16 focus groups (n=48) were conducted with family carers of people with dementia and health and social care professionals in Sao Carlos‐SP, Brasilia‐DF and Sao Lourenco‐MG. Discussions were aimed at exploring whether the content of the translated version of iSupport was both clear and relevant to the needs of carers of people with dementia in Brazil. Representatives of the Brazilian Ministry of Health and Alzheimer’s Associations also contributed to this assessment. Results Overall, all participants had positive views of the iSupport material. In addition to researchers and translators, carers and professionals helped refine the text to make it clearer and more tuned to the Brazilian context. In general, participants found the material clearly written and culturally relevant. A few changes were suggested with regards to terminology and examples given in the modules to better fit the Brazilian culture and health systems, and links to relevant web pages of the Brazilian Alzheimer Association were included. Although further information could be added, the existing material was seen as sufficient. Conclusion The translation and cultural adaptation of iSupport included inputs from four categories of participants and showed that the programme was considered easy to understand and culturally relevant for carers of people with dementia in Brazil. The next step will be to pilot the translated and culturally adapted programme with carers in Brazil to establish its efficacy and usability.

A pandemia causada pela COVID-19 traz questões desafiadoras sobre a função e saúde de cuidadores informais. Objetivou-se discutir de forma reflexiva o impacto do isolamento social nos cuidadores informais e suas famílias e as dificuldades enfrentadas por esses indivíduos em relação ao apoio ofertado pelos serviços de saúde. Trata-se de um artigo de reflexão sobre cuidadores informais de idosos diante da pandemia da COVID-19, viabilizado a partir de duas seções teóricas: 1) sobrecarga, ansiedade e estresse em cuidadores: a importância da resiliência e da busca por ressignificar estratégias de cuidado; e 2) dificuldades enfrentadas pelos cuidadores em relação ao apoio ofertado pelos serviços de saúde. As sessões permitiram a análise de importantes pontos do cuidado para a saúde dos cuidadores, além do fornecimento de recomendações segundo evidências científicas, que ressaltam a necessidade de orientá-los sobre sua saúde de forma holística, na perspectiva de um cuidado seguro em relação à pandemia. Descritores: Cuidadores, Idoso, Assistência a Idosos, COVID-19.   COVID-19 pandemic: who takes care of informal caregivers of the elderly? Abstract: The pandemic caused by COVID-19 brings challenging questions about the function and health of informal caregivers. The objective of this study was to discuss in a reflexive way the impact of social isolation on informal caregivers and their families and the difficulties faced by these individuals in relation to the support offered by health services. This is an article of reflection on the formal caregivers of the elderly in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, made possible from two theoretical sections: 1) overload, anxiety, and stress in caregivers: the importance of resilience and the search to resignify care strategies; and 2) difficulties faced by caregivers in relation to the support offered by health services. The sessions allowed the analysis of important points of care for the health of caregivers, in addition to the provision of recommendations according to scientific evidence, that highlight the need to guide them about their health holistically, from the perspective of safe care in relation to pandemic. Descriptors: Caregivers, Aged, Old Age Assistance, COVID-19.   Pandemia de COVID-19: ¿quién cuida a los cuidadores informales de ancianos? Resumen: La pandemia causada por el COVID-19 plantea preguntas desafiantes sobre la función y la salud de los informantes. El objetivo de este estudio fue discutir reflexivamente el impacto del aislamiento social en los cuidadores involuntarios y sus familias y las dificultades que enfrentan estas personas en relación con el apoyo ofrecido por los servicios de salud. Este es un artículo de reflexión sobre los cuidadores informales de los ancianos ante la pandemia de COVID-19, posible a partir de dos secciones teóricas: 1) sobrecarga, ansiedad y estrés en los cuidadores: la importancia de la resiliencia y la búsqueda de resignificar las estrategias de cuidado; y 2) las dificultades que enfrentan los cuidadores en relación con el apoyo ofrecido por los servicios de salud. Las sesiones permitieron analizar puntos importantes de atención para la salud de los cuidadores, además de proporcionar recomendaciones de acuerdo con la evidencia científica, que ponen de relieve la necesidad de orientarlos sobre su salud de manera holística, en la perspectiva de la atención segura en relación con la pandemia. Descriptores: Cuidadores, Anciano, Asistencia a los Ancianos, COVID-19.