SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASPECTS, OVERLOAD AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF CAREGIVERS OF ELDERLY WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the factors, especially the socioeconomic factors, present in the family nucleus that may influence the care of the person with a medical diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This is a cross-sectional and exploratory case study. The research subjects were ten primary caregivers, two secondary caregivers and ten individuals with AD enrolled in a Basic Health Unit, in the city of Betim, Minas Gerais. In the research, the following collection instruments were used: Zarit Caregiver Overload Scale, the Brazil Economic Classification Criterion Questionnaire, the semi-structured script interview and the researcher's field diary. The research was approved and submitted by the Research Ethics Committee of PUC Minas. The findings of the research reveal that the socioeconomic aspect influences the way that care for the elderly with Alzheimer's disease is performed. It is necessary that a member of the family nucleus take care of the sick elderly due to difficulties to hire professional caregivers, considered as an informal caregiver. The profile of this caregiver is mostly female in adulthood and with low education. Care is performed over long periods, without assistance for the division of tasks, without training and with few financial resources, which leads to caregiver overload and fragile care. The challenges faced in this care process are manifold ranging from lack of knowledge about the disease to lack of long-term care policies that support care for these families. The study revealed the urgent need for caregiver support, especially family caregivers, prevalent in the Brazilian context, who have been living in a moderate to severe degree of burden, with repercussions on their quality of life.