CORRELATION BETWEEN INDEPENDENCE AND COGNITION POST-STROKE AND BURDEN AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN FAMILY CAREGIVERS

Introduction: Stroke is a chronic disease that generates functional capacity impairments. The necessary care is generally provided by family members, which may cause burden and threats to their quality of life. Objective: To... [ view full abstract ]

Introduction: Stroke is a chronic disease that generates functional capacity impairments. The necessary care is generally provided by family members, which may cause burden and threats to their quality of life. Objective: To verify the presence of correlations between independence and cognition in stroke patients and burden and quality of life of family caregivers. Methodology: It consists of a cross-sectional and correlation study, whose sample consisted of thirty (n=30) stroke patients and their family caregivers (n=30). With the patients, the following instruments used were: Mini Mental State Examination and the Functional Independence Measure and the instruments for the caregivers were: Zarit Burden Interview Scale and WHOQOL Bref. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used for data analysis. Results: There were no correlations between independence and cognition of stroke patients and between burden (r=-0.203 p=0.281; r=-0.173 p=0.362) and quality of life (r=-0.069 p=0.718; r=0.063 p=0.743) of caregivers. However, there are correlations between the independence and cognition (r=0.882 p=0.000) and between burden and quality of life (r=-0.414 p= 0.023). Conclusion: This study provides important data showing evidence for the creation of services and actions in occupational therapy focused on the stoke patient and family caregivers.