Quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship of sociodemographic characteristics and activity overload with the quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home. This is an epidemiological, transversal study, conducted with 58 relative caregivers of elderly people registered in Family Health Programs in a municipality in the state of Bahia. Sociodemographic data were collected; in addition, the Katz Index of Independence, Zarit Burden Interview, and WHOQOL-bref were administered. The data were analyzed using correlation and multiple linear regression. The Zarit scale was negatively associated with all areas of the WHOQOL-bref domain, which was corroborated by the multiple regression model, which identified that the Zarit scale alone was able to predict the impact of care on quality of life of the studied caregivers. There is evidence of a need for expansion of social and health support to caregivers in an attempt to minimize overload, improving the quality of life of these individuals. DESCRIPTORS: CALIDAD DE VIDA DE FAMILIARES CUIDADORES DE ANCIANOS DEPENDIENTES EN CASARESUMEN: Se objetivó analizar la asociación de las características socio-demográficas y sobrecarga de actividades con la calidad de vida de familiares cuidadores de ancianos dependientes en casa. Estudio epidemiológico, transversal, realizado con 58 cuidadores familiares de personas mayores, registrado en Estrategias de Salud de la Familia, de un municipio del estado de Bahía. Los datos fueron recolectados por medio de instrumentos sociodemográficos, además del Katz Index of Independence, Zarit Burden Interview, y el WHOQOL-bref, que fueron analizados mediante estadística descriptiva, de correlación y regresión lineal múltiple. La escala Zarit se asoció negativamente con todas las áreas del WHOQOL-bref. Corroborando este hallazgo, el modelo de regresión múltiple aplicado identificó que la escala Zarit sola es capaz de predecir el impacto del cuidado sobre la calidad de vida de los cuidadores estudiados. Hay evidencia de la necesidad de expansión de la ayuda social y de la salud a los cuidadores, en un intento de minimizar la sobrecarga, mejorando la calidad de vida de estos individuos. DESCRIPTORES:Cuidadores. Familia. Anciano. Calidad de vida. Apoyo social.

Caring for the carer: quality of life and burden of female caregivers

“…It was also observed that the age group of 31 to 50 years was predominant in all degrees of kinship. These findings were similar to those of studies with relative caregivers of elderly dependents and caregivers of people with chronic diseases (17,25) , which also found this age group as the most representative and found that the patient's children were the predominant caregivers, followed by the spouse (15,18,26) .…”

“…The age variation of the participants is similar to national and international studies (15)(16)(17) . The prevalence of the age group of 31-50 years, followed by those over 60 years, is corroborated by data from other researches (18)(19)(20)(21)(22) and provides an interesting reflection -older adults are strongly represented among caregivers.…”

“…Similar data are presented in a study carried out in Portugal, which found that only 7.1% of the caregivers had completed higher education (18) . Brazil also has a similar reality, as shown in a study with dependent older adults caregivers in the state of Bahia (17) .…”

Neuroendocrine and Peptidergic Regulation of Stress-Induced REM Sleep Rebound

“…Conversely, patients with Cushing’s syndrome, who exhibit exaggerated cortisol secretion, display less NREMS and more awakenings during the night, which can also be corrected by interventions that decrease production of glucocorticoids (GCs) (39, 40). These findings strongly suggest that optimal GC concentrations are essential for normal sleep patterns in humans (41, 42). In rats, a similar phenomenon is also observed, with high levels of corticosterone being especially detrimental to NREMS (43).…”

Desigualdades de género en trabajos de cuidados familiar y no remunerado: una revisión Iberoamericana

“…El cuidado se comprende como una actitud constante que incluye esfuerzo y dedicación, así como entrega, atención y cariño hacia otro/a (Bedoya-Hernández, 2013; Dos Anjos et al, 2014;Gálvez et al, 2013;Henn et al, 2010;Silva et al, 2013). Desde este enfoque, desprendemos que frecuentemente en los estudios, el cuidado se vincula a la enfermedad y a lo patológico, restringiendo aquellas perspectivas desde las cuales se puede entender el cuidado −las que además no suelen ser explicitadas−.…”