Profile of older adults caring for other older adults in contexts of high social vulnerability

Abstract

Objective: To characterize older adult caregivers who care for other older adults in the context of high social vulnerability. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted with 40 older adult caregivers using: Mini Mental State Examination, Katz Index, Lawton's Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale and the Frailty phenotype proposed by Fried. The previously scheduled interviews were conducted in the home of the caregiver. For the data analysis, the statistical software Stata 11.0 was used, descriptively. Results: There was a predominance of females, age range 60-69 years, married, with primary education, who were retired. They had no health insurance. Most were pre-frail, hypertensive and independent in both instrumental activities and basic activities of daily living. They showed no evidence of depressive symptoms or cognitive impairments. Conclusion: To know the profile of the older adult caregiver is essential to support health services in planning quality care.