Abstract
ABSTRACT Objective: Despite the greater vulnerability of care providers, the literature shows that their mortality rate is considerably lower compared to care recipients. The aim of the present study was to analyze the mortality rates of community-dwelling older adults who provided support in activities of daily living (ADL) (group PC) and older adults who received in activities of daily living (group RC) in a four-year period considering the effects of age, sex and schooling in both groups and stress in in group PC. Methods: 261 older adults PC and 279 older adults RC participated in the study. In 2014, we collected data on demographic characteristics and functioning. In 2018, the participants were contacted a second time and information on deaths was obtained. The mortality rate was calculated for each group. Results: Death cases in four years were considerably higher among the group who were receiving support. The mortality rate was 12.6% in the PC group and 31.2% in the RC group. In deceased PC, 69% presented with high-perceived stress in baseline. About half of the PC were independent, whereas the RC group exhibited some functional dependence in 2014. There was no association between risk factors in the group PC, however the female sex was marginally associated with the risk of mortality among the RC (HR: 1.7 [95% CI: 0.9-3.0]). Conclusion: Some demographic characteristics have been considered risk factors for the mortality of the old age population, however these were not confirmed in this study among the older adults who provided and received care.
Highlights
The chronic stress, depression and anxiety that stem from the daily task of providing care for a dependent loved one can compromise the mental health and psychological wellbeing of the caregiver[1]
The hypothesis is that PC have a lower mortality rate than receiving support in ADL (RC), there are differences among subgroups divided according to age, sex and schooling, but PC who had been reported higher perceived stress could present with higher risk of mortality
We evaluated community-dwelling older adults registered with primary care centers in the city of São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil
Summary
The chronic stress, depression and anxiety that stem from the daily task of providing care for a dependent loved one can compromise the mental health and psychological wellbeing of the caregiver[1]. Older caregivers face the challenges of their own aging, which when added to the demands of providing care, lead to greater vulnerability in comparison to older adults who do not provide care for anyone[7] These conditions exert a considerable impact on the quality of life and life expectancy of caregivers. Perceived Stress could be seen as an result of a sum of factors present in the context of care such a sleep difficulties, poor health perception, burden and having more people living with These feeling in a long term could represent a risk for the health in older caregivers; the construct has not been explored extensively in older caregivers[10]. The hypothesis is that PC have a lower mortality rate than RC, there are differences among subgroups divided according to age, sex and schooling, but PC who had been reported higher perceived stress could present with higher risk of mortality
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