Efectos sobre la calidad de vida y sintomatología psicológica de un programa de ejercicio físico a domicilio para familiares cuidadores de enfermos de Alzheimerperspectiva de género

Abstract

Providing care for people with dementia negatively impact on the health and quality of life of family caregivers. The general objective of this Doctoral Thesis is to describe and evaluate the characteristics of family caregivers of people with dementia, to conduct a physical exercise-based intervention and to evaluate the effects on the health, quality of life and psychological symptoms of family caregivers. For this purpose, a series of descriptive-observational and longitudinal studies were carried out with the following aims: a) to describe and analyse the profile of mental health and HRQOL of female family caregivers of people with dementia and to analyse the factors that can determine these variables; b) to develop the methodology for implementing a personalised physical exercise-based intervention programme at home to improve the HRQOL and mental health of female caregivers and c) to assess the effects of the physical exercise intervention on the mental health and HRQOL of female family caregivers of people with dementia. As a result of these studies, 4 articles were published whose main findings were a) the psychological symptoms of caregivers differ from rural to urban areas; b) there are differences in psychological symptoms and quality of life and healthy people; c) the physical exercise programme provides significant effects on caregivers' levels of burden.