Sociodemographic profile and level of burden of dementia patients’ caregivers who participate in a support group

The Brazilian Alzheimer's Association recommend the dementia patient's caregiver to attend group meetings which aim to give information and enable them to express and share feelings with individuals who are facing similar difficulties. Objectives To identify the sociodemographic profile of the individuals who attend the Support Group for Family Members of Individuals with Alzheimer's disease at Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, and to verify the degree of burden associated to the care given to this kind of patient. Methods Forty-eight participants were sub-divided into two groups: 23 non-caregivers and 25 caregivers. All participants answered a sociodemographic questionnaire, and the caregivers also answered the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Student's t test was used for comparison of parametric data, and Chi-square test for categorical data between caregivers and non-caregivers. Spearman's rho correlation analysis was performed for the ZBI and the studied variables. Results Participants were predominantly women. Only age differentiated one subgroup from the other. The mean score on the ZBI was 35.1 (14.7), and most of the caregivers presented up to moderate burden. Conclusions Women attended the Support Group either as caregiver or non-caregiver. The level of burden among caregivers of high educational attainment was relatively high besides the short time as caregiver (up to a year).