Introduction:

In the course of our lives, we are all caregivers in some way. However, learning how to be one does not come up automatically. With an increase in population aging, the number of cases of people needing care also increases. Alzheimer's disease produces the gradual loss of the capacity to take care of oneself and therefore there is the need for the help of a family caregiver, who assumes the main caring tasks together with great physical and mental burden.

Objective:

To characterize the psychological distress experienced by the main caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease in the mild and moderate stages.

Methods:

Descriptive study with 35 main caregivers of patients with mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease of Carlos Manuel Portuondo Polyclinic of Marianao Municipality. The information was collected with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory validated in Spanish, processed with absolute frequency and percentage distributions.

Results:

In the category minimum, agitation or aggression (20.00%), sleep disturbances (22.85%) and eating habits disorders (25.71%) predominated. In the category light, depression (20.00%), sleep disturbances (25.71%) and eating habits disorders (22.85%) prevailed. In the category moderate, the most frequent symptoms were repetitions (25.71%), depression and anxiety, both with 22.85%, apathy and irritability, with 20.00%. In the category severe, the most frequent SPC was the repetitions (20.00%).

Conclusions:

In the main caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease in the mild and moderate stages, the minimum, slight and moderate discomfort prevailed. They presented greater discomfort in the presence of agitation or aggression, sleep disturbances, eating disorders, depression, repetitions, anxiety, apathy and irritability.

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