Abstract

PEREZ RODRIGUEZ, Mario et al. Caregiver's syndrome in primary caregivers of aged with Alzheimer's dementia. Gac Méd Espirit [online]. 2017, vol.19, n.1, pp. 38-50. ISSN 1608-8921.

Background: Caring for a sick aged person requires the dedication of a close family member and almost always falls to an only one person (the caregiver). This caregiver can greatly affect his/her health, due to the emotional, physical and even economic overload that aged patient requires. Objective: To identify the main socioeconomic and psychological effects of the primary caregivers of aged people with Alzheimer's disease; attended at the exhaustive consult of Geriatrics of the General Provincial Hospital Camilo Cienfuegos, Sancti Spíritus. Methodology: A pre-experimental study (with a single group before and after) was carried out in the period from September 1^rst, 2010 to July 31^rst, 2012. Population 92 primary caregivers of aged with Alzheimer´s dementia; the sample consisted of 64 caregivers who met the inclusion criteria. The following variables were used: age, sex, schooling, occupation, degree of parenthood with the patient, caregiver time and level of information about the disease; In addition, the psychosocial caregiver scale that measures socioeconomic and psychological variables was used. Results: Females were the majority (82.8%) and the age group from 40 to 59 years (83.7 %). There was predominance of pre-university level (37.5 %) and workers (68.7 %). Children who provided continuous care to the aged (29.0 %) and caregiver time between 1 and 2 years (58.1%) prevailed; With a slight predominance of those who were not informed about the disease (54.7 %). The search for support and lack of free time were the main socioeconomic problems detected before and after the intervention; however, there was a decline in their values ​​after the educational actions carried out. Anxiety prevailed before and after the multidisciplinary intervention; although the actions performed diminished all the symptoms, except despair (20.3 %). Conclusions: The educational actions allowed the socioeconomic and psychological reduction affections of the main caregivers, without disappearing the caregiver syndrome in the participants.

Keywords : Alzhéimer disease; caregivers; education; caregivers; psychology.

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