Abstract:
Population aging has led to increased dependency and overburden of family caregivers of dependent elderly. The aim was to verify prevalence of family caregivers overburden and associated factors in a poor and violent area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was a cross-sectional study of 140 elderly and family caregivers, focusing on social support, abuse, cohabitation, and family caregivers overburden, in addition to dependency, cognitive decline, and depression in the elderly. Multiple logistic models were constructed to explain family caregivers overburden. The following characteristics of the elderly were associated with family caregivers overburden: age (OR = 0.94; p < 0.002), depression (OR = 2.59; p < 0.005), and cognitive decline (OR = 3.19; p < 0.03). As for family caregivers characteristics, only social support remained relevant (OR = 2.35; p < 0.005). In conclusion, investigating and treating depression and dementia in the elderly and promoting support for their caregivers can contribute to the effective management of family caregivers overburden and improve quality of care for both.
Keywords:
Caregivers; Frail Elderly; Social Support
