[Burden on caregivers of elderly victims of cerebrovascular accident]

Abstract

The aim was to assess the burden on caregivers of elderly victims of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and to correlate it with care hours, the elderly people's age and functional independence. This cross-sectional study counted the participation of 62 elderly individuals with CVA and their caregivers. The instrument used contained socio-demographic and economic variables, the Mini-Mental Status Examination, the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and the Zarit Scale. The possible correlations between the Zarit scale scores and the other variables were assessed using Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. Most caregivers were adults, children of the victims, married, and female. The mean Zarit score was 34.92(15.8). The FIM showed a negative correlation with caregiver burden, but no correlation with age and number of care hours. The burden on most of the caregivers ranged from moderate to severe and seems to be related to the level of functional independency of the elderly.