Dementia caregiver burden in a Brazilian sample: Association to neuropsychiatric symptoms

Abstract

Taking care of elderly demented individuals, especially when they present behavioral changes, can be very exhaustive for both family and caregivers. Generally, this leads to changes in the family lifestyle, and the caregiver must deal with a range of problems. Information on this topic in Latin America, including Brazil, remains scarce.ObjectiveTo investigate the relationship between the presence of neuropsychiatric symptoms and the level of caregiver burden in a group of Brazilian elderly with dementia.MethodsThe Brazilian versions of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI) and of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) were administered to a total of 83 family-caregivers of patients with dementia followed at a university-affiliated outpatient clinic. Pearson’s correlations were calculated to measure the level of association between the scores on both instruments.ResultsAmong the caregivers, 83.1% were women, and had a mean age of 55.6±12.8 years. The ZBI scores ranged from 3 to 79 (mean=31.4). Patients’ NPI scores ranged from 0 to 102 (mean=26.9), consistent with a significant degree of behavioral manifestations in most patients. A significant positive correlation was found between ZBI and NPI scores (r=0.402; p=0.000).ConclusionThe presence and severity of behavioral manifestations assessed by the NPI were associated with a high level of caregiver burden in this sample of Brazilian elderly with dementia.

Assessment of caregiver burden with elderly having cognitive deficit

“…Most of the interviewed caregivers recognized themselves as family caregivers, while women are the traditional caregivers, in agreement with both the national and international literature (6,13,14,19,20) . This study's findings reinforce women's historically determined social role in Acta Paul Enferm.…”

“…Most national and international studies corroborate such findings (6,13,14,20) . This fact can be seen as a benefit for older adults receiving care, since their care needs can be promptly met.…”

“…Caregiver burden was correlated with the clinical characteristics of demented patients in a retrospective study analyzing the medical files of older adults in the Cognitive Disorders Center of a university hospital in São Paulo, Brazil and the average score obtained by 67 caregivers on the ZBI was 32 (13) . Another cross-sectional study evaluated 83 caregivers of demented older adults in a university outpatient clinic in Belo Horizonte, Brazil and obtained an average score of 31.4 on the ZBI (20) . Increased caregiver burden is observed when it is related to cognitive deficit caused by dementia.…”

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

“…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.…”

Identificação dos sintomas comportamentais e psicológicos em idosos moradores de uma Instituição de Longa Permanência

“…Observa-se que os estudos nacionais (CASSIS et al, 2007;FIALHO et al, 2009) apontam correlação signifi cativa entre a presença dos SCPD, o comprometimento da funcionalidade e a sobrecarga subjetiva de seus respectivos cuidadores. Nos resultados encontrados neste estudo identifi cou-se que esses aspectos não se correlacionam, visto que a amostra era composta por idosos com diferentes diagnósticos de doenças crônicas e não apenas por idosos com demência como o estudo citado.…”