Quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home

Abstract

The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship of sociodemographic characteristics and activity overload with the quality of life of relative caregivers of elderly dependents at home. This is an epidemiological, transversal study, conducted with 58 relative caregivers of elderly people registered in Family Health Programs in a municipality in the state of Bahia. Sociodemographic data were collected; in addition, the Katz Index of Independence, Zarit Burden Interview, and WHOQOL-bref were administered. The data were analyzed using correlation and multiple linear regression. The Zarit scale was negatively associated with all areas of the WHOQOL-bref domain, which was corroborated by the multiple regression model, which identified that the Zarit scale alone was able to predict the impact of care on quality of life of the studied caregivers. There is evidence of a need for expansion of social and health support to caregivers in an attempt to minimize overload, improving the quality of life of these individuals.