Profile of caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients attended at a reference center for cognitive disorders

Abstract

This is a study on burden of caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease attended at a Reference Center for Cognitive Disorders.ObjectiveTo evaluate the profile and burden on caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease attended at a Reference Center for Cognitive Disorders.MethodsWe collected demographic information and data on the relationship with the patient from caregivers, and measured burden with the Zarit scale. The patients were evaluated with the following scales: the Cambridge Cognitive Test (CAMCOG); Mini Mental State Examination, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory for neuropsychiatry symptoms, and Functional Activities Questionnaire - FAQ for functional impairment.ResultsOf the 31 caregivers, 77.4% were female, predominantly, and daughters, having a mean age of 58.6 years, educational level of 8.1 years, 70% of caregivers co-resided with the patient and 71% did not work. The mean time as a caregiver was 3 years. Twenty-seven percent of the caregivers presented mild to severe burden. The variables presenting significant association with caregiver burden were scores on the NPI and CAMCOG.ConclusionThe social demographic characteristics of the sample were similar to those of studies performed in other countries. The average time as a caregiver and the frequency of caregivers with mild to intense burden were lower than those reported in international studies. Neuropsychiatric symptoms and severity of cognitive decline were the main factors associated to burden in this sample of mostly mild to moderate demented AD patients. Further studies are necessary to verify whether the burden is indeed less intense in our milieu.

Correlation between neuropsychiatric symptoms and caregiver burden in a population-based sample from São Paulo, Brazil: A preliminary report

“…In the present study, subjects with AD had mean scores on the Zarit and NPI of 20.11 and 12.28 points, respectively, scoring higher than controls. Moscoso et al., 22 in thirty-one elderly patients with AD from the outpatient unit of CEREDIC (Clinics Hospital – Cognitive Reference Center), observed a mean Zarit score of 31.77 and NPI of 34.97, scores higher than those observed in our study. Godinho et al, 23 studying a sample of 64 clinical outpatients with Alzheimer's disease, observed a mean NPI score of 35.…”

P2‐361: Neuropsychiatric symptoms as the main determinant of caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease

“…21 The present study showed a similar caregiver profile to Moscoso's study. 21 One limitation of this investigation, besides the small sample size, was the lack of medical and personal variables from the caregiver such as depression, anxiety, and management strategies that could influence the perception of burden. Nevertheless, the objective of the study was the analysis of sociodemographic data, care and dementiarelated characteristics.…”

“…Other studies have previously reported this finding. [20][21][22][23] Low levels of informal social support, 20 decreased patient quality of life, 23 lower patient functional capability 23 and severity of cognitive decline 21 were also associated with higher levels of burden in theses studies.…”

Reabilitação cognitiva em grupo com foco em metas funcionais para pacientes com doença de Alzheimer leve: um ensaio clínico controlado

“…Neste contexto, a RC atual possui o desafio de controlar as inúmeras variáveis individuais e ambientais na condução de pesquisas para observar os efeitos desta intervenção (Gindri et al, 2012), tornando-se necessário levar em consideração a percepção do paciente e do familiar/ cuidador para melhor entendimento dos resultados. (Moscoso et al, 2007;Fernandes e Garcia, 2009).…”

“…Outros estudos também observaram idade média dos cuidadores entre 50 e 65 anos (Karsch, 2003;Labra et al, 2015). Ou seja, os cuidadores também estão em uma faixa etária na qual pode demandar cuidados médicos, aumentando a necessidade de atenção para a saúde dos mesmos (Fernandes e Garcia, 2009;Moscoso et al, 2007).…”