Burnout syndrome in informal caregivers of older adults with dementia: A systematic review

Abstract

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.

Caregiving in Quarantine: Evaluating the Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Adult Child Informal Caregivers of a Parent

“…Caring for a parent while juggling competing life demands can generate role overload that dismantles family and social relations ( Conway, 2019 ). High levels of caregiver burden lead to a depletion of emotional reserves or burnout ( Gérain & Zech, 2019 ), which predicts institutionalization of the care-recipient ( Gaugler et al, 2009 ) and abusive caregiver behaviors ( Alves et al, 2019 ).…”

Psychoeducational intervention on burden and emotional well‐being addressed to informal caregivers of people with dementia

“…This can have negative consequences in the medium term on the caregivers' physical and emotional health, finances and social relationships 12 . Over time, this translates into burden as the IC gives up employment or reduces her/his work schedule to spend more time caring for the PwD 7, 13 . If carers of PwD are compared with other types of caregivers, even immune system deficiencies can be observed 8 .…”

“…The program includes emotional and social support based on psychoeducational theories developed by Lukens and McFarlane, cognitive‐behavioural theories and the Antecedent‐Behaviour‐Consequence (ABC) Model 15, 16 which promote problem‐management and cognitive restructuring, stress and burden management to reduce their consequences. Emphasis is placed on engagement in pleasurable activities, based on the hypothesis that these activities increase emotional well‐being, reduce anxiety, improve the quality of life of both the PwD and caregiver, and improve the quality of care provided at home as satisfaction and relaxation are protective factors against the negative effects of care demands 1, 13, 17, 18 . The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the INFOSA‐DEM psychoeducational intervention: training, information and social support, on burden and emotional well‐being in ICs of PwD living at home, evaluating the durability of the effects at 3 and 6 months post‐intervention.…”

Conhecimentos e sobrecarga do familiar cuidador frente ao paciente com demência

“…In addition, one of the most common conditions in the dementia syndrome is the appearance of agnosias, characterized by the difficulty in recognizing objects, images, people, despite keeping the sensory function intact. By causing distortion, this symptom may bring risks in some rooms of the house, such as in the kitchen, causing fear and insecurity for those who care 30 .…”