The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate cultural factors associated with burden in unpaid caregivers of older adults. Searches were conducted in the Pubmed, Web of Science, ...PsycInfo, Scopus, Embase, LILACs and SciELO databases for relevant articles published in English, Portuguese and Spanish using the search terms ‘Caregiver AND Culture AND (Burnout OR Caregiver Burden) AND Aged’. No restriction was imposed regarding year of publication. A total of 1234 articles were identified, 34 of which were selected for the present review. The following sociodemographic characteristics were associated with burden: being female, married, White caregivers, young and the spouse of the care recipient; having no siblings; having low schooling and low economic status. Cultural factors associated with burden were living with the care recipient, not professing a religion or having little spirituality, familism (i.e. less reciprocity) and an absence of social support. The present findings underscore the importance of developing intervention strategies that consider cultural factors to minimise the negative impacts of care on unpaid caregivers of older adults.
Providing care to an older adult is an activity that requires considerable physical effort and can cause stress and psychological strain, which accentuate factors that trigger the cycle of frailty, ...especially when the caregiver is also an older adult. However, few studies have analyzed the frailty process in older caregivers.
To investigate the prevalence of pre-frailty, frailty and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults.
A cross-sectional study was conducted including 328 community-dwelling older caregivers. Frailty was identified using frailty phenotype. Socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical aspects, characteristics related to care and functioning were covariables in the multinomial logistic regression.
The prevalence of pre-frailty and frailty were 58.8% and 21.1%, respectively. An increased age, female sex, not having a conjugal life, depressive symptoms and pain were commonly associated with pre-frailty and frailty. Sedentary lifestyle was exclusively associated with pre-frailty, whereas living in an urban area, low income and the cognitive decline were associated with frailty. A better performance on instrumental activities of daily living reduced the chance of frailty.
Many factors associated with the frailty syndrome may be related to the act of providing care, which emphasizes the importance of the development of coping strategies for this population.
Limited formal education is still common in ageing populations. Although limited formal education seems to be independently and negatively associated with cognition, functional abilities and frailty ...in ageing, no studies have examined whether the gradient of limited formal education has an impact on health in later life.
to examine the relationship of limited formal education with cognitive status, functional abilities, and frailty status.
a cross-sectional study was conducted involving 540 older adults stratified into groups: no formal education, 12-24 months of education, and 25-48 months of education. Cognitive screening (MMSE), functional abilities (Lawton Index), and frailty (CHS criteria) were measured. Regression analyses were performed.
27% had no formal education, 21% had 12-24 months of formal education, and 55% had 25-48 months of formal education. Limited formal education has a clear gradient of negative impact: No formal education was associated with scoring below MMSE cut-off scores (OR = 7.9), being totally/partially dependent for IADLs (OR = 2.5) and frail (OR = 2.0). Having 12-24 months of education was associated with scoring below MMSE cut-off scores (OR = 5.2) and with being frail (OR = 2.0). The No formal education group was 10.1 times more likely to have worse cognitive scores, worse functional abilities and frailty/pre-frailty status concomitantly (CCoFF), while older adults who had 12-24 months of education had a 4.6 times greater chance of having CCoFF.
limited education had a gradient association with cognitive performance, functional disability and frailty. These findings clearly emphasize the importance of prevention through education from childhood to older age.
This study investigated the relationship between metabolic parameters and low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in older adults (n = 265). They were assessed for anthropometrics and ...metabolic measurements, including 25(OH)D, insulin, glucose, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and other inflammatory markers. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D level below 50 nmol/L. Comparisons between groups were performed using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney or Pearson's Chi-squared test. A multivariate adjusted Poisson regression was used to model the number of metabolic parameters as a function of a set of explanatory variables. Subjects with 25(OH)D deficiency were predominantly females and presented higher body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), and higher insulin resistance. Metabolic syndrome was also more prevalent among 25(OH)D-deficient subjects. In those without metabolic syndrome, 25(OH)D deficiency was related only to obesity and higher insulin resistance. Female sex, hypertension, higher waist circumference and higher levels of hemoglobin A1C (%), HDL-C, and TG were significantly associated with an increased number of metabolic syndrome parameters after adjusting for covariates, but 25(OH)D was not. The fact that serum 25(OH)D concentration was inversely associated with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance not only reaffirms the relevance to consider serum 25(OH)D concentration as an influencing factor for insulin resistance, but also the need to actively screen for hypovitaminosis D in all patients with this condition.
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between cognition and frailty in the elderly.
A systematic review on the currently existing literature concerning the subject was carried out. ...The search strategy included LILACS, SCOPUS, SciELO, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science databases.
A total of 19 studies were selected for review, from which 10 (52.6%) were cross-sectional and 9 (47.4%) longitudinal, and the majority Brazilian. All of the studies established a link between cognition and frailty. There was a relationship between components of frailty and the cognitive domains. Risk of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), dementia and mortality were all evidenced in the relationship between frailty and cognitive impairment.
The theory remains limited, but results show the variables that appear to be linked to cognition and frailty in elderly. This data can help in implementing actions to improve the quality of life among elderly.
Objectives: Internet-based interventions can help carers of people living with dementia to cope with care-related challenges and can help improve their wellbeing. This systematic review aimed at ...investigating the criteria of usability and acceptability of self-guided internet-based interventions for family carers of people living with dementia. Method: Searches were conducted on PubMed, Virtual Health Library Regional Portal (Americas), MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Cochrane. Studies published up to December 2019, in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, were eligible. We followed the definition/criteria from ISO ISO-9241-11 for usability (efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction) and acceptability (barriers for using and utility). Methodological quality was evaluated using specific tools according to each study design. Results: Ten studies were included, all of which had high methodological quality. Carers of people living with dementia indicated that internet-based interventions were mostly effective, efficient, and satisfactory. They considered these to be informative, relevant, and functional, highlighting the utility and intention of using the resource in the future. The high heterogeneity in the terms and methods used to evaluate usability and acceptability hindered cross-study comparisons, however internet-based interventions were considered useful and acceptable by most carers. Conclusion: Future research should consider expanding the criteria of usability and acceptability to better reflect the needs of this population.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
ABSTRACT Objective: to compare cognitive performance of elderly caregivers with and without chronic pain over four years and verify the effect of pain intensity on cognitive performance of elderly ...caregivers with chronic pain. Method: a longitudinal study with data collected in 2014 and 2018. Community-dwelling elderly caregivers of a Brazilian city participated in the study. Cognition was assessed using the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination instrument. Pain was assessed by an 11-point scale. For data analysis, a mixed linear model and ANCOVA with a 5% significance level were used. Results: they were divided into two groups. A cognitive decline over four years was found in elderly people with pain (p=0.02; 95%CI=0.32-4.25), while those without pain did not show a significant change. Conclusion: the results show that elderly caregivers with pain had a worse cognitive performance, but when comparing groups with the ANCOVA test for intergroup analysis, there was no difference in cognitive performance.
RESUMEN Objetivo: comparar el desempeño cognitivo de los cuidadores ancianos con y sin dolor crónico durante cuatro años y verificar el efecto de la intensidad del dolor sobre el desempeño cognitivo de los cuidadores ancianos con dolor crónico. Método: estudio longitudinal con datos recolectados en 2014 y 2018. Los participantes del estudio fueron cuidadores ancianos residentes en la comunidad de un municipio brasileño. La cognición se evaluó mediante el instrumento Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination. El dolor se evaluó mediante una escala de 11 puntos. Para el análisis de datos se utilizó un modelo lineal mixto y ANCOVA con un nivel de significancia del 5%. Resultados: se dividieron en dos grupos. Se encontró deterioro cognitivo durante cuatro años e ancianos con dolor (p=0,02; IC 95%=0,32-4,25), mientras que aquellos sin dolor no mostraron cambios significativos. Conclusión: los resultados muestran que los cuidadores de ancianos con dolor tuvieron peor desempeño cognitivo, pero al comparar grupos con la prueba ANCOVA para análisis intergrupal, no hubo diferencia en el desempeño cognitivo.
Objective: The aim of this study is to analyze the prevalence of physical inactivity (PI) and associated factors in older caregivers of older adults. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted ...including 312 older caregivers. Sociodemographic, clinical, and care-related characteristics were considered the independent variables for the determination of associated factors with PI in the logistic regression model. Results: The prevalence of PI was 75.3% (95% confidence interval CI = 70.1%, 80.0%). The following factors were associated with PI: being female (odds ratio OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.3, 5.9), being older than 75 years of age (OR = 7.1, 95% CI = 2.2, 22.9), not having a marital life (OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.1, 15.8), being prefrail (OR = 6.2, 95% CI = 1.7, 21.9), and being frail (OR = 14.8, 95% CI = 3.8, 57.7). Discussion: The prevalence of PI was high and associated with the female sex, an advanced age, and not being married. Specific public policies considering these results should be created for older caregivers.
Abstract
The association between cognitive impairment and physical frailty has been studied in older adults. The criteria degree of frailty may be keys to associated cognitive impairment.
Objective:
...To analyze the association between cognitive impairment and the criteria for frailty.
Methods:
We cross-sectionally examined data from 667 older adults (≥60 years of age) from a study entitled ‘Variables associated to cognition in elderly caregivers’ involving patients in an urban and rural primary healthcare center. We defined cognitive impairment based on different groups of scores on the Mini Mental State Examination, and defined frailty and prefrailty using the criteria by the Cardiovascular Health Study. We performed multinomial regression models to analyze the association between levels of frailty and cognitive impairment.
Results:
Similar proportions of women (54.8%) and men (45.2%) participated in the study (mean age: 71 years old). We found cognitive impairment, prefrailty and frailty in 34, 54, and 24% of the participants, respectively. Concomitant cognitive impairment and frailty was found in 13% of them. The chances of cognitive impairment increased up to 330% (
Odds Ratio
OR: 4.3; 95% confidence interval 95%CI 2.4‒7.7; p<0.001) among frail individuals, and 70% (OR: 1.7; 95%CI 1.0‒2.8; p=0.033) among prefrail individuals compared to robust/non-frail individuals. After controlling for age, education, place of residence and functional dependence, slowness and fatigue criteria were significantly associated with cognitive impairment.
Conclusion:
Older adults with frailty have a greater likelihood of concomitant cognitive impairment than prefrail and robust older adults. The prevalence of cognitive impairment and frailty is consistent with data reported in literature. The present findings contribute to the investigation of cognitive frailty.
ABSTRACT
Background:
In recent years there has been an increasing number of elderly people who care for another elderly person in the same household. These elderly people are more susceptible to ...overload and the presence of chronic pain, while pain can negatively influence cognitive variables.
Objective:
To compare the performance and cognitive processing of elderly caregivers and non-caregivers with and without chronic pain.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study carried out among 149 elderly people divided into four groups that were matched according to sex, age and schooling. The tests used were a numerical pain assessment scale, the Brief Cognitive Screening Battery (BCSB), Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACER-R) and cognitive processing through event-related potentials (P300).
Results:
Statistically significant differences between participants with and without chronic pain were found with regard to attention/orientation (p=0.045) and visual-spatial skills (p=0.017), and in the total score (p=0.033). In the pain-free group, the caregivers showed better results than the non-caregivers. There were no effects between subjects or interactions (caregiving and pain factors) either on P300 amplitude or on P300 latency.
Conclusion:
In general, it was observed that pain-free individuals presented better performance. No relationship was observed between the factors care and pain regarding cognitive performance.
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