Overload syndrome in Alzheimer’s caregivers. Systematic review.

Abstract

The progressive aging of society causes the rates of diseases associated with senescence to skyrocket, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which produces a progressive cognitive deterioration generating great dependence on those affected and whose care usually falls on a single caregiver, often with a heavy workload and deteriorating health. The objective of this systematic review is to deepen our understanding of the factors related to overload in informal caregivers of AD. The findings derived from the studies confirm the predominance of women in care-related tasks. The presence of high levels of burden on AD caregivers and the existence of moderating factors, such as resilience, coping strategies, positive aspects of care, religiosity, self-efficacy or perceived social support are also evident.