A longitudinal study of burden among spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency.

Abstract

to assess the burden of spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adults with stroke-induced-dependency after discharge from a university hospital's Specialized Care Stroke Unit in southern Brazil. a longitudinal survey. The sample consisted of 48 consenting caregivers, among which 20 were spouse caregivers. Data were collected between May 2016 and July 2018. One week after discharge, caregivers completed a sociodemographic profile, the Functional Independence Measure, and the Caregiver Burden Scale. Burden was also measured two months after discharge. Data were analyzed using Multivariate Analyses of Variance. regarding time 1, non-spouse caregivers experienced greater burden with respect to social isolation (p = .01). Along with a persistently greater sense of isolation (p=.04), non-spouse caregivers felt far greater general strain (p =.01). statistically significant differences in burden over time highlight the importance of assessing caregiver burden after discharge and the need for a formal support program.