The association between the functional incapacity of the older adult and the family caregiver's burden

OBJECTIVE: To identify the association between the older adult's functional capacity and the caregiver's burden. METHOD: A cross-sectional, quantitative study, undertaken in a municipality in the north of the Brazilian state of Paraná, with 178 older adults with functional incapacity, and their caregivers. The Functional Independence Measure was used for evaluating the older adults' functional capacity, and the Zarit Burden Interview was used for evaluating the caregiver burden, with the results being analyzed quantitatively. The majority of the older adults were females, widowed, with a mean age of 79.9 years old, and needing assistance for up to 50% of the daily living tasks. The majority of the caregivers were females, daughters, married, and had a mean age of 56.7 years old. RESULT: The majority of the caregivers reported moderate burden; the men presented higher probabilities of lower burden than the women; and the more independent the older adult was, the higher the probabilities of the caregiver having low burden. CONCLUSION: Encouraging actions directed at the promotion of active and healthy ageing centered on the maintenance of functional capacity and the older adult's autonomy, and implanting strategies for the organizing of care in the home which include the caregiver's health, can contribute to minimizing the effects of burden and improve quality of life.