Relationship between the burden of informal caregivers and the level of independence of hospitalized elders

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the burden upon informal caregivers, the level of independence of the hospitalized elders and to verify the relationship between them. It is a quantitative, cross sectional and descriptive study, conducted by individual interviews with the 40 caregivers of the elders hospitalized in the Medical Clinic of a public hospital in Uberaba-MG. From the caregivers were collected sociodemographic data, relating to the care, and the burden level (Zarit Burden Interview) and from the elders, gender, age, diagnosis and the level of independence (Barthel Index). Descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient were used to verify the correlation between the caregivers’ burden and level of independence of the elder (p<0.05). There was a predominance of female caregivers, with 1-4 years of study, with partners, children of the elders, who received help from other people to care for and spent more than 15 hours daily to care. Moderate to light caregivers’ burden (62.5%), elders with total dependence (47.5%) and moderate and negative link was found between the caregivers’ burden and the level of independence of the elder (r= -0.423; p=0.007). This investigation is expected to contribute for the development of actions for the caregiver in hospitals, aiming to prevent their burden and its consequences.