Os achados reforçam a necessidade da avaliação do medo de cair entre os idosos que residem no próprio domicílio, assim como o desenvolvimento e a utilização de estratégias pelos profissionais voltadas para os fatores modificáveis,de modo a reduzir as quedas e melhorar o estado de saúde, o que pode contribuir para a diminuição do medo de cair entre os idosos.

This is an integrative literature review that aims to identfy evidences on the factors causing overload and their consequences for family caregivers of adults or the elderly. The review covered 27 studies at databases, using the keywords caregivers, family, and overload in the period from 1999 to 2009. Four categories came up: the imposition of being a caregiver, taking care alone, the dependence of the person that receives care, and the bio-psychosocial weariness of the caregiver. The results showed that the imposition of the role of caregiver, lack of support from other family members, level of dependency of the patient related to the pathology, and physical and psychological weariness are the main factors causing overload in family caregivers. The need for more support and availability by health professionals to family caregivers in their home activities is evident.

The aim of this study was to characterize dependent elderly people and their main family caregivers and the association between functional capacity of the elderly and the burden of caregivers. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 112 elderly people and caregivers connected to a primary care service in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The applied instruments related to care and socioeconomic variables were Physical and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (PADL and IADL) and the Burden Interview. The Spearman correlation coefficient was also used. Average age of the elderly individuals in this study was 81.41 years, while the average score for PADL was 10.36 and 6.25 for IADL. Of the 112 elderly individuals, 71.4% had severe dependence. Among caregivers, 75% were women, 61.6% were the sons or daughters with an average age of 57.98 and an average burden of 29.53, which is equivalent to moderate burden. Results revealed a significant correlation between functional capacity of the elderly and caregiver burden. It was verified that the higher the dependence of elderly people, the greater the burden of caregivers.

Objective:to reveal the felt and normative needs of primary family caregivers when providing instrumental support to older adults enrolled in a Home Care Program in a Primary Health Service in the South of Brazil. Methods:using Bradshaw's taxonomy of needs to explore the caregiver's felt needs (stated needs) and normative needs (defined by professionals), a mixed exploratory study was conducted in three steps: Descriptive quantitative phase with 39 older adults and their caregiver, using a data sheet based on patient records; Qualitative exploratory phase that included 21 caregiver interviews, analyzed by content analysis; Systematic observation, using an observation guide with 16 caregivers, analyzed by descriptive statistics. Results:the felt needs were related to information about instrumental support activities and subjective aspects of care. Caregivers presented more normative needs related to medications care. Conclusion:understanding caregivers' needs allows nurses to plan interventions based on their particularities.

Resumen Objetivo: evaluar el efecto de intervenciones de atención domiciliaria de enfermería sobre la calidad de vida en cuidadores familiares de adultos mayores sobrevivientes de accidentes cerebrovasculares. Método: Ensayo Clínico Aleatorizado, cegado para la evaluación de los desenlaces. Los participantes del estudio fueron 48cuidadores familiares de adultos mayores sobrevivientes de accidentes cerebrovasculares (ACV). El Grupo Intervención recibió tres visitas domiciliarias a cargo de enfermeros un mes después del alta hospitalaria, en las que se les ofreció instrucción relacionada con ACV (es decir, cómo acceder a los servicios de salud y realizar las actividades inherentes a los cuidados) y apoyo emocional. Al Grupo Control se le brindó la orientación habitual de los servicios de salud. La calidad de vida se evaluó mediante el instrumento World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) y el módulo Old(WHOQOL-OLD) 1semana, 2meses y 1año después del alta. Resultados: en su mayoría, los cuidadores fueron mujeres, hijos o cónyuges. Los cuidadores de los grupos Intervención y Control no presentaron diferencias significativas en términos de su Calidad de Vida general de base. La intervención no ejerció ningún efecto entre la asignación a los grupos y la Calidad de Vida general(p=0,625) con el transcurso del tiempo. Sin embargo, la intervención sí tuvo efecto sobre las Relaciones Sociales (p=0,019) y la Autonomía(p=0,004). Conclusión: la intervención ejerció un efecto estadísticamente significativo sobre la calidad de vida de los cuidadores familiares con respecto a las relaciones sociales y a la autonomía. Registro del ensayo: NCT02807012.