RELAÇÃO DO PERFIL EPIDEMIOLÓGICO DOS CUIDADORES DE IDOSOS COM DEMÊNCIA E A SOBRECARGA DO CUIDADO

The present study aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic and clinical profile of caregivers and their relationship with overburden of care of elderly people with dementia. Descriptive cross-sectional study, non-probability sample with 94 elderly people suffering with dementia, conducted at a Care Center for Elderly in the state of Rio de Janeiro. Data was collected from February to June 2016, through a questionnaire on sociodemographic aspects and Zarit Inventory. Forty-six (50%) caregivers had moderate overburden, 35 (38%) had little overburden and 11 (12%) moderate/severe overburden; 71 (77%) caregivers took 1 to 5 drugs and 20 (22%) took 6 to 11 drugs. The following trends were observed: individuals with lower income experienced higher levels of overburden; less experienced caregivers had moderate overburden; the greater the overburden of caregivers, the lower the average age of these individuals. Also, overburdened caregivers were in conditions of biological and psychological vulnerability.