Family functionality regarding the elderly with cognitive impairments: the caretaker's perception

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to characterize the caregivers of elderly individuals with cognitive impairment living in different contexts of social vulnerability, and assess the family functionality of the elderly as perceived by the caregivers. Family functionality was evaluated using the Family APGAR instrument, assessed during home interviews with 72 caretakers. All the ethical aspects were observed. Spearman's correlation and the Mann-Whitney test were used, with 5% significance level (p<0.05). Results show that 82% of caregivers reported a good family functionality, 14% reported moderate family dysfunction, and 4% reported high family dysfunction. A statistically significant correlation was found between Family APGAR and the number of people living in the house (p=0.048). Further studies could verify the relationship between family functionality and the caretaker's overload in the context of elderly persons with dementia.