Evolución del perfil de los cuidadores de personas de 65 y más años con discapacidad en la persistencia de un modelo de cuidado familiar

Introduction

The increasing participation of women in the workforce may make it difficult to sustain the current model of elderly care. The aim of this article was to determine the changing sociodemographic profile of informal elderly caregivers with disabilities, the interaction between employment and care, and the view of the public on the responsibility of that care.

Calidad de vida y sobrecarga de los cuidadores de pacientes con daño cerebral adquirido

Introduction

The health impact of acquired brain injury (ABI) is not only apparent in the patient, but also in the loss of health related quality of life (HRQol) of their carers. The objectives of this study were to measure the loss of HRQol as well as the burden of the carers of patients with ABI.

Material and methods

A retrospective study was conducted with 76 carers of patients with ABI. A questionnaire was used to collect information on the sociodemographic aspects, carer burden (Zarit Scale) and the HRQol (EuroQol Questionnaire) of the carers. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to analyse the effect of the different variables.

Results

The carers were predominantly women over 50 years, retired or dedicated to domestic tasks and who cared for their husband or one of their parents. One third showed a high risk of claudication. The mean HRQol obtained with the EuroQol went from a similar score to that of the general population (0.9) in the group without burden, to 0.67 in the group with risk of claudication. The regression models explained the burden better than the loss in quality of life.

Conclusions

Carers of patients with brain injury suffer a significant loss in HRQol compared to the general population. The deterioration arises from the mental dimensions and depends on the level of burden.     

Eficacia del programa de reducción del estrés basado en mindfulness para cuidadores familiares de personas con demencia. Revisión sistemática de estudios clínicos aleatorizados

Family caregivers of people with dementia usually have high levels of anxiety, depression, and overload symptoms, and are reasons for being considered a clinically vulnerable population. The objective of the present review is to examine the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) applied to this population. A search was made in the electronic databases for randomised trials with pre-post measurement in the last 15 years. The methodological quality was obtained using the Jadad scale. Finally, 5 articles were included, obtaining a sample of 309 participants. The score on the Jadad scale was 3.4 out of 5. In general, the MBSR program reduces anxiety and depression symptoms, as well as overload levels in the post-measurement. However, some studies showed a significant reduction in the psychological effects of the program during follow-up. More empirical studies are needed that can establish a more homogeneous protocol that reduces the ambiguity of some results.     

Efectos del entrenamiento en estrategias de regulación emocional en el bienestar de cuidadores de enfermos de Alzheimer

Introduction

The present research shows the results of a psychoeducational intervention programme centered on the regulation of the emotion among Alzheimer patients’ caregivers.

Materials and methods

52 informal caregivers of Alzheimer's patients participated. These caregivers were distributed into two groups: the experimental group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 32). All the participants were evaluated before and after the intervention programme through the application of different measurement tools measuring variables related to the care giving process; stressors, modulation variables and care giving consequences.

Results

In the inter group contrast, the experimental group, when compared with the control condition, obtained higher scores in positive affect, subjective well-being, regulation of emotions, and satisfaction with caregiving. However, the experimental group recorded lower values in perceived stress and negative affect. With reference to the intragroup contrast, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in dysfunctional thoughts and emotional attention. The control group registered higher levels of psychosocial support and lower satisfaction with caregiving.

Conclusions

The training programme, that we both developed and conducted, has contributed to a greater feeling of emotional well-being amongst the its participant caregivers, who now take more adequate care of their emotions and suffer fewer dysfunctional thoughts in relation to caregiving. In future studies, the stability of the results presented in this investigation should be established due to the progressive character of the skills learned during the programme, and the changing needs associated with the caregiving process.     

Síndrome de carga del cuidador y factores asociados en cuidadores familiares gallegos

Introduction

Most of existing work on burden among family caregivers has methodological sample constraints. Moreover, there is contradictory information regarding sociodemographic variables, especially those related to care, clinical variables, and burden. Few studies have analysed the self-esteem and personality characteristics as correlates of burden. In this study, an analysis is performed on the prevalence of burden among family caregivers and the relationship with their sociodemographic, care-related, and clinical characteristics.