Sobrecarga del cuidador formal en centros geriátricos en la ciudad de Cuenca Ecuador, en el periodo 2022-2023

Abstract

The overload of a Caregiver refers to the negative physical, social and psychological consequences resulting from how demanding their job can be which can affect their wellbeing. Formal caregivers are those responsible for meeting the needs of other people, besides, they have knowledge about strategies to carry out their role, receive a salary, and have working hours, among others. This research aims to describe the overload levels in formal caregivers, according to sociodemographic variables, and to compare the overload depending on the geriatric centers. The study has a quantitative approach, non-experimental, cross-sectional design, and descriptive scope. We worked with a population of 36 formal caregivers from four geriatric centers in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador. We applied The Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale accompanied by a sociodemographic file. Among the most relevant results that we obtained were a predominance of 72,2 % of the absence of overload and 27,8 % of caregivers with intense and light overload. On the other hand, there is no statistically significant difference (.620) between the geriatric centers, likewise, based on the sociodemographic variables. The levels of overload are present mainly in women, as well as in married couples, whose maximum level of studies is high school and who work 8 hours per day with less than 3 years of experience. Consequently, we can conclude that, despite the existence of a small number of caregivers with intense and light overload, it can trigger negative consequences for their care work with older adults.