Caregiver syndrome in primary caregivers of dependent older adults

Introduction: the older adult undoubtedly needs special care to perform daily activities due to age, illness or disability, they require the presence of a caregiver the same performs activities in order to meet the needs. Objective: to determine the prevalence of caregiver overload in primary caregivers of dependent older adults. Methods: quantitative, descriptive, non-experimental cross-sectional study. It is considered a correlational study, using the Zarit and Barthel scales in a population of 119 primary caregivers. The study was based on ethical considerations governed by the Helsinki code, which emphasizes the protection of the rights and the guarantee and welfare of the people participating in research. Results: the results showed that most of the caregivers were women (63 %) of middle and old age (80,7 %). The level of overload in the primary caregivers is established at 66 % in which overload and intense overload are obtained according to Zarit. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed a significant correlation between the overload syndrome and the level of dependency of the older adult. Conclusion: it is evident that caregiver overload is present in one third of the caregivers giving a prevalence of 55,4 % of overload distributed between mild and intense; there is a need to implement effective support and care measures for caregivers, in order to improve the quality of care and protect their health and well-being.