Health and work conditions between caregivers of elderly

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: With the appearance of physical and health problems, the elderly become dependent, needing the help of caregivers in carrying out the basic daily activities. Objective: To evaluate the health and working conditions among caregivers of fragile elderly in the State Reference Center for Health Care of the Elderly (CREASI). METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study performed at CREASI. It was 41 caregivers were analyzed regarding sociodemographic aspects, caregiver activity, caregiver health, domestic overload and the frequency of musculoskeletal pain was evaluated by the Nordic questionnaire on musculoskeletal symptoms (NMQ). RESULTS: Most caregivers were female, daughters, informal, with a age of 48,8 (±14,5) yeares. Regarding education, 43.9% had completed high school, 95.1% were satisfied with the activity of caring and 87.8% did not have a training course. The high domestic overload was observed in 51.2% of caregivers and 50% had chronic degenerative diseases. According to the NMQ, 46.34% had low back pain, followed by 26.83% with pain in the dorsol column. CONCLUSION: It was possible to notice excess activities carried out by the caregiver who, when they accumulate, cause physical overloads and generate painful symptoms through the body, which may compromise the care and health of the caregiver. Thus, caregiver training would be beneficial in avoiding risks to the health of both the caregiver and the elderly.