Mental health of caregivers of the elderly: Integrative Review

With the increase in the elderly population, the number of diseases resulting from age and due to illness also increases, many elderly people need the services of a caregiver. In this context, due to intense care routines, many caregivers present problems such as stress and anxiety, which are directly linked to the function they perform. Thus, in order to investigate the losses resulting from this activity, this study had as main objective toanalyze the work overload, stress and quality of life of caregivers of the elderly. The method was carried out through an integrative review carried out in the SciElo and LILACS databases from October 13 to December 20, 2019. We included 09 articles, published in the last 10 years, with Portuguese language and full text. In the analysis, three subthemes stood out, namely: profile of the caregiver of the elderly; mental health of caregivers; and care provided to caregivers by the health team. It was evidenced that the problems associated with the health of caregivers are due to the degree of dependence of the elderly, the doubts related to care and mainly the lack of time of the caregiver for their leisure and self-care activities. With such evidence, oneperceives the need forinterventions, such as training and guidance for caregivers in order to clarify doubts about the care to be provided. In addition, the importance of creating support groups is emphasized, in an attempt to reduce the risks of diseases arising from the occupation of caregivers, promote the quality of life of these people and improve their performance in the care provided.